Primer Dia

Today, I woke up and thought "Where am I??" Oh yeah, MÉXICO, BEBÉ. Que emocionado. I can see from this first day that this experience is going to be very different than my experience in Costa Rica. The family that I live with has 4 family members living with them, the mother, Alejandra, the father, Gilberto, the son, Luis Felipe, and the aunt, Carmen. However, they are also renting 7 rooms. So that makes for a bit of craziness when 4 people are talking at the same time- especially if it's in Spanish...

Alejandra knows what she is doing. She has had 320 students before and speaks English pretty well. It's weird because my Costa Rican parents didn't speak English. For the most part I understood them. However, sometimes I wasn't sure if I knew what they meant. It's helpful that Alejandra knows English and she often corrects me. Which I love! How else will I learn? Alejandra told me that some students don't like to be corrected... But I know it's con amor that she corrects me. Also, Alejandra has lived in Canada and understands cultural differences better than my family in Costa Rica. For one, she laughed at me when I was surprised that I'm allowed to open the refrigerator. Also, there isn't the same pressure to eat more, eat more, EAT MORE. I feel much more independent, which I think is pretty American to want.

It's hard not to compare this experience with Costa Rica. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I think it's ok. When I was in Costa Rica learning about their culture, I learned about my own which I found fascinating. Now, I can compare the three. All have aspects that I love. I often think of the wonderful time I spent with my Costa Rican family, how they included me in their family gatherings and sat around talking together for hours. Here in Mexico the desire to sit and chat is similar. The difference in this house at least, is that there are 11 people. People get up and walk around with little more than "con permiso" or "buen provecho". I'm surprised by how close the "family" is considering how much liberty everyone seems to have. Then again, I guess that's how my family is the U.S. My experience so far makes me think Mexicans have more similarities with the U.S. than Costa Ricans.

But what am I saying? The similaries only go so far. For one, I have to wear shoes in the house. :( Que lastima. At home, I've been wearing shoes less and less, running barefoot etc. I can handle that sad, sad restriction of comfort, but what do you think about this- I have to wear pants all the time. What I mean is ALL. THE. TIME. Am I seriously going to wear sweatpants when I run? IT'S 80 DEGREES!!! Today, my mom called me "un fuente" (fountain) because I was sweating so much as we walked around. Great. 6 weeks with jeans. Ya'll know I hate jeans...

Pero todo bien y vale la pena (But it's allll good and worth the pain). I'm going to love it here. My family is great. They have good fruit here like Costa Rica. Mmm, papaya. I'm going to improve so much in Spanish.

México. Yeaaaah, bebé... Mas luego...