A Foreigner in my Native Land

So, you know in my last entry I asked if its too weird to cry because I'm so happy? Well, my feelings have changed. I'm now asking myself if its too weird to cry because I'm missing everyone. And I know the answer is no.

Saturday, everyone parted and went our separate ways. No two paths are going to be the same. And it was a very emotional day. Happy that we finished our masters degree after traveling and living in three different countries. Yet having that feeling of unknowingness. Unfamiliarity. And uncertainty. Not one of us has a job lined up yet. And we were so used to leaning on each other and knowing that there was someone in the room next door that we could go talk to. And now they are not there. We are all hours upon hours apart. Hundreds of miles separate us. And I miss my girls. Terribly. I feel almost foreign. I feel like I'm missing a part of me.

So please know that I miss you. Girls, life is not the same without you here.

It. Is. Finished.

So, its official...I just took my very last final of my MBA!!!! Its over. Done. Completed. It is finished! And the feeling is FABULOUS!!!! Is it weird that I'm so happy I feel like crying? Yeah, maybe.

Its amazing how fast one year goes by. And even after all this post-graduate studying, I still have such a deep love for school! =) (yes, my boyfriend thinks I'm weird for this! haha!)

This picture is of Julie burning our notes from one of our NOT SO FAVORITE classes!

As one of our last activities with our International Management course, we went to tour the Nestle Mexico plant this morning. It was amazing how high-tech this facility was! They do a lot of the testing of products at this facility (mainly coffee, chili powder, and chocolate powder NesQuik mix). I was kind of hoping that they made candies there so I could be the tester! But, they let me down.

Julie and me acting silly at Nestle Laboratories in our super fabulous outfits!

Things I Find Funny...The Mexico Edition

Today has been a particularly trying day. But I'm still going to post since I know that there are some readers out there that might hold me to my last post's promise of writing at least once a day this week.

This post is dedicated to the country of Mexico..and its idiosyncrasies. =) As some of my avid readers (*probably maybe just my mom) know, I made a list of Things I Find Weird while I was in Canada last fall. Well, its that time to call out Mexico. So here goes...

Things I Find Funny. The Mexico Edition.

• It is not uncommon to see donkeys hanging out on the side of the road. And I now have developed a fascination with seeing donkeys in the "wild." There are blonde donkeys, grey donkeys, and black donkeys, too. Some even look like they've escaped from the zoo. Donkeys with blankets on their backs, donkeys carring sacks, and donkeys that look like they need a snack or two. (Pardon my Dr. Seuss mood. I just bought my mom "Horton Hears A Who.")

• You can find almost ANYTHING at the Mercada de la Cruz (the market...or maybe it should be know as the underground black market). They have every single DVD or CD ever made. They have brand name clothes with generic tags in the collar. They have food, clothes, sunglasses, eyeglasses, purses, headphones, shoes, jewelry, flowers, etc, etc, ETC! Man, I'm gonna miss that place. Brings a whole new meaning to "one-stop-shop!"

• The bakeries here open only at 5pm...and that is the absolute earliest!!!

• Although there are probably hundreds of taco stands on the street (selling a taco for around 40 cents), the stand owners still earn more than an engineer! (side note...there's this one taco stand that we go to where we've heard the people in front of us order 30 tacos to-go!)

• While we're on the subject of tacos, I find the meat here, not so much funny, but weird. The first time I tried a taco from a stand I was told that the meat was from the rib of the pork. I later found out it was the stomach! (Except for a few minor exceptions, I have pretty much deemed myself a vegetarian down here. Minor exceptions meaning "the days I feel brave")

• The streets are amazingly clean here! There are orange-suit workers out 24/7 keeping the streets of Queretaro safe from slime.

• A lot of houses here have an open area in the middle...open to the sky, sun, moon, stars...and dust. (Our house is built this way.)

• We must clean all our fruit with a certain "solution" that magically dissolves any and all bacteria that is residing on it. Shake a few drops in some water, let the fruit soak for 10 minutes, and it is pure! (This is done because fruit can be grown anywhere here...even near ponds that just might be mixed with potty water. But don't worry, the solution kills all!)

• It is perfectly ok to eat fruit that has been covered in bees and insects right before you purchase it (even when its already peeled, and those pests are just thriving on your fruit). We've been told by the locals that this makes the fruit better. Ok...

• It is not uncommon for our house to just all-of-a-sudden run out of water. Oh, and also for our toilets to just quit working and spew sewage from the drains of our shower when we try to flush the toilet. Oh, but don't worry...that has only happened 5 times.

So that's a rough Top 10 list...stay tuned, I might just have a sequel in store later this week.

Countdown: 5 days.

Changes

In honor of it being our very last week of our MBA program here in Mexico, I have decided to try and post multiple entries (probably the max you will get out of me is one a day since its finals week! haha!).

This entry came about because Julie and I were talking the other day about how NONE of us look the same as we did when we first started the program in Canada just a little under a year ago! How things change in one year! I have brown hair and brown eyes (contacts. My attempt at "blending in down here in Mexico"). David's hair went from hippie-long to buzzed super short. Julie has blonder hair. We went from 9 people to 8 people...well, you get the picture. But if you don't, here's some comparison shots--from the beginning and end of the program! =)

CANADA (beginning!):

MEXICO (end!):

(I know I'm writing this an hour after midnight, but I'm still counting this as my Sunday post!!) SO.....6 DAYS!!!!!!!!

And so it begins...the beginning of the end

And so it begins, or should I say "ends." Tomorrow marks the first day of the very last week of the 2008-2009 TMBA. In less than a week eight strangers-turned-friends will return to our homelands with a masters degree in hand! Its a week of mixed emotions. A lot of us are ready to get home to see our friends and families (and to start making money!), but its weird to think that we all won't be meeting up again in a couple of weeks to start a new semester with the program in a different place.

It will be over. Done. Finished.

And we will be MBA graduates.

7 days.

The Children of the Street

If I'm in a writing kind of mood, maybe I should be working on one of the THREE projects that needs some attention! So, I'll keep this short. In one of my previous posts, I've made mention of how I love the kids down here. I really feel for them. I love them. And I just want to hug them, because they just might not get any type of love at home. They know only one life, and they are destined to probably live that life forever--and its the street life. So any form of attention you can give a little 5-year old that's forced by their family to sell can literally brighten up that kid's whole day! It doesn't take much, trust me! [I feel very strongly about this and wish so strongly that there was something more that I could do]

Make a difference in a child's life today! It might be their only glimpse of hope and love!

Teotihuacan--The Pyramids of Mexico!!

Oops! I totally forgot to talk about the wonders of Teotihuacan--the Aztec pyramids! I had the pleasure of visiting this area with my dad before everyone else flew in to Mexico City. (As I had mentioned before, Dad had flown in a couple of days before everyone else because he had a business trip in Mexico City). Going to see the pyramids was something that I REALLY wanted to do...like, I was not going to leave Mexico without seeing this. I even wrote a book about the ancient civilizations in Mexico when I was in third grade (you didn't know I was an author, did you?). *Mom, you should look for this book so I can see it when I get back!* Dad really wanted to go here also! I think its more than safe to say that Dad and I are definitely the adventurous ones in the family who always look for new things to explore!

Hot air balloon above a pyramid

So the day after I took the bus (by myself) to Mexico City to meet him, we woke up at 5am to go see the pyramids (again, lots of logistics involved when you don't rent a car...taxis galore + two separate bus rides. But believe me, you don't want to drive in Mexico City!). The bus that we *thought* the girl told us was 15 minutes long ended up being 1hr15min! But it was incredibly worth it! As we were arriving at the pyramids, there were three hot air balloons making their way above the pyramids. Such a beautiful site. Dad and I got out of the bus at one of the entrances--only to find that the gate was still locked at 8am! [The pyramids and the whole area that makes up what was once the land of this ancient civilization has a fence around its perimeters]

A car pulled up behind us, also stunned that the gate was still locked. He was a local, yet could speak English. SCORE! We started talking to him, and he asked us if we wanted to hop in his car and get the tour, but ENSURED us we would not have to pay. [I found this very funny] ;) I looked at Dad, like "um, are you sure?" and Dad said "well yeah!" only to then tell me that he would be absolutely furious if he ever found out if I did this again. [I mean, who hops in a pretty banged-up 1980s car with a stranger that has long pinky fingernails!! Dad, seriously, you don't have to worry about me getting into cars with strangers...and I'm actually surprised that you said OK to this idea! haha!] The guy turned out to be normal (no kidnappings ensued) and he was a great tourguide, telling us all about the ancient civilization, what each structure was for, showing us the archaeological sites, etc. We got to see the Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon, the avenue of the dead, and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, among many other small ruins. It is amazing to me to imagine what life must have been like at that time. I climbed to the top of the highest pyramid--the third largest pyramid in the world! And to just look down from the top of that structure and visualize life in the ancient Aztec world is simply breathtaking.

In our tourguide's car

Our "tourguide" Barnaby

So our "guide" turns out to be a vendor--one that walks around to all the visitors at the pyramids trying to sell all kinds of jewelry, rock formations, ceremonial masks, etc. They even sold these things that sounded like a jaguar's growl when you blew into them (yes, they tried to sell you these after they touched their own mouth to them. *SORRY* I am a germaphobe!!). Our guy didn't try to push a sale on us, but we bought several things from him anyway. It made for a perfect morning adventure. And we made it back to the airport in plenty of time to pick up the rest of the crew!! Thanks, Dad, for this awesome adventure!!

Mi Familia y Mi Novio Visitan Queretaro!!

Some of you might be wondering how Tony ended up in the picture (two posts below) with me on top of Pena de Bernal. No, it wasn't photoshop. He actually was here in Mexico!!! And so was my whole family! I just haven't had a chance to write about their visit because I was trying to catch all you lovely readers up on my trips to the beautiful cities of Mexico.

El Tono's visit was *supposed* to be a surprise...but he ended up telling me before he came (which probably was a good thing due to all the crazy logistics involved in getting to Queretaro...plane, bus, taxi, donkey. Ok, just kidding about the donkey, but seriously, its a lot!). Even though it turned out to not be a surprise, I was extremely happy!! Tony's visit coincindentally coincided with my whole family's visit, which I was also extremely happy about! My dad had to come to Mexico City for work, and it just so happens that Mexico City is only about 3 hours away from Queretaro! So I had found the fam a hotel just up the street from where I live. So the visitor list included: Tony, Dad, Mom, Alex and Amber (Alex's girlfriend). So it was a week-long visit with me being the entertainer! The day they all arrived was also Julie's birthday!! AND her boyfriend was coming in also. So July 16th was a HUGE day in this household!

Julie's birthday celebration started off the week-long visit perfectly...we even got to witness her smashing a dog pinata (she's not a fan of dogs!) EVERYONE was there--so fun!!! Next on the agenda, was discovering Queretaro. Since I already had discovered it, well, just about everyday [Julie and I try to search out new things and explore places we have never been], I ended up being the awesome tourguide. And let me just say, that this whole week that I had visitors, my Spanish improved by at least 1,000%! Everyone depended on me to get us where we had to go, to order food, to get bus tickets, etc. And it was a lot of fun to know that I could actually do it!

My brother ended up hurting his thumb [huge chunk of wood stuck underneath his fingernail...gross and painful]. So the emergency room was one of the first places where I had to force my Spanish. After that, we walked to the market, toured the city so I could show them all the cool places, and made them try new things. I even saw some things I had never seen before [new adventures everyday, right?]...camels, zebras, and tigers in vehicles going down the street with music playing! The circus was in town. And these animals looked drugged. Maybe the drug cartels had gotten ahold of them. Either way, it was very sad and I just wanted to hug that poor white tiger.

**Check out Alex's bandaged thumb. Us in the taxi on the way back from the emergency room!

A couple of days were spent around Queretaro; at the market, around the city, in the plazas, etc. But we did take a couple of side trips.

Next in store was a trip to San Miguel de Allende. I think everyone liked this town because English is spoken in most parts! So it felt more "at home." The bus ride there was not so enjoyable though because Amber is prone to getting car-sick. So here's the factors of the equation: bus with improper hydraulics + dirty bumpy Mexico backroads + smells of the bus... and well, you know what that equals. But once we were there, things were fine; food was great, shops were greater, and the scenery even greater!

The next sidetrip was with Tony, Julie, and Remi (Julie's boyfriend). We went to Bernal and had a great time climbing the mountain together. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful clouds and it made for super awesome pictures. It was definitely hot though; once we had climbed down the mountain we were in need of some serious gorditas!!! The best of the best in Bernal!!

Their visit seemed way too short and I was not ready for them to leave!!! But I think some of them were ready to get back to normalcy in the Bluegrass State.

Guanajuato!!

We only have less than two weeks left! Sad, because there is still SO MUCH to see!! So we decided to take another side trip a couple of days ago. This past weekend took us to another city in Mexico, about 2 hours away from Queretaro. This city was called Guanajuato...and guess what! It might possibly be my new favorite place! Yes, I say this with every city I visit in Mexico, but they are all just so downright charming! And I truely love every single town! This place had a lot of mines back in the day, so silver is pretty popular here. The city also has MANY tunnels that take roads underground. Some guy described the town as swiss cheese because of all the underground roads and tunnel openings that resemble swiss cheese holes. I didn't know this before I went, but this town is actually considered a World Heritage Site.


"Our best mummy poses"

Guanajuato is known for its mummies. Real mummies. Not mummies wrapped in shreds of cloth, but naturally preserved. The cause is unsure, but most believe it to be because of the air and the metal surrounding the bodies. There is a museum that we went to called "Guanajuato Mummy Museum" and there were probably 40 mummies on display! The clothes on some of them were still intact!! There were even babies that had been mummified--so sad to see! Our tour was in Spanish, so I'm sure I missed a lot...but at least they had description plates in English.

We also went to a torture museum because Guanajuato was known for torturing prisoners also. We were able to get the tour in English so that made it much more interesting (even though I'm sure you could use your imagination here). It seems that the person behind all the "SAW" movies must have seen this museum!!!! Too many similarities (creepy!). It definitely offered some fun photo ops! haha!

Just walking around the city and stopping in the shops was really fun and interesting. Shannon even bought a rug for only 300 pesos ($25US)!!! There was a theatre in the middle of the city that reminded me so much of Hollywood Blvd because it looked like a movie could be set there...plus there were a lot of palm trees around it. =)

TMBA--This is LIFE!

I want to take this post to tell everyone interested (or even somewhat interested) in participating in the TMBA to DO IT!!! I am so glad that I did. Not only have I experienced some amazing cities, new cultures, crazy adventures, and met great people, but I will have my MBA in less than one month! One year jam-packed with adventure while studying is completely worth it and has gone by so incredibly fast!

I also want to commend WKU for taking this program into its hands and giving me and all other future MBA students this AMAZING opportunity! It has been the experience of a lifetime! GO TOPS!

Post a comment if you are interested in this program and you have any questions at all! =)

Side Trip to Bernal!!!

Ok, so actually Bernal is my new favorite place! Its funny how I think I've seen the most beautiful place, only to discover one that I love even more!!! Bernal is a town that holds a grand natural beauty--Pena de Bernal, or Bernal Peak! This is actually a HUGE rock that juts straight out of the ground in the middle of nowhere. And when I say HUGE, I mean the height is 1150 ft (and 8230 ft above sea level)! If you have never been to Queretaro, you may not know that it is very mountainous. And right now we are in the rainy season so all the mountains are a beautiful tropical green color (think of the tree-filled cliffs on "LOST" and that is what Queretaro looks like in the country). But then, you have this huge rock, called a monolith, with virtually NO trees...so it kinda stands out! Its said to be made from volcanic rock many, many years ago. How freakin' awesome to be able to climb this thing! AND I was definitely excited!

Hiking/rock climbing Bernal was not as easy as it looks. In fact, it was a lot more dangerous than I felt it to be at the time. But, I have quite the adventurous spirit--straight from my dad. And when you're up there, you feel like you are on top of the world and that you accomplished something fabulous!

P.S. David saw a scorpion while we were climbing!!!!! Glad I didn't accidently grab that rock!

Updates from Mexico!! Part II

More on the side trips...

So I thought San Miguel was the most beautiful city...until we went to Tequisquiapan. Then, I fell in love with that city! The girls and Hector took a side trip to Tequisquiapan to go ride horses in the country. After we took an hour-long bus ride (for only $3.00!), and a taxi, the horses were not where they are "normally" stationed!!! SO, I said, "Well, let's just go find the horses' house!" So, we took a little walking journey asking all the locals if they knew where these certain horses lived (well, actually where their owners live...haha!). Long story short, and many sights later, we found the horses and were able to ride them. One hour=$3.00! It seems like everything is $3.00 around here! We rode out in the country along a cobblestone road and saw some very interesting Mexican "rural-ness." Definitely an experience I won't forget! The town of Tequisquiapan is very pretty in a very natural way...they have these HUGE trees that have the biggest trunks I have ever seen! The stores here were very nice too...and suprisingly different from Queretaro or San Miguel.

(***Look how pretty the sky is in the picture! If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with perfect clouds in pictures...and these were stunning perfection!***)

Stay tuned for BERNAL!!