Day 4

1. I need to start going to bed earlier.
2. I need to nap during the day.

For breakfast we had ham sandwiches like the first night and banana shakes. The banana shake was really good. It was weird having sandwiches for breakfast, but they have desayuno y almuerzo together here, so it's like breakfast and lunch together, dinner at 3, and snack at 10... I guess that makes sense.

We went to Laura Moreno's class and learned about the Mayans and Aztecs. She speaks in Spanish but puts her powerpoints in English, which is good for clarification but more difficult to adjust back and forth.

Then Spanish with Olga. Pleasant lady, but she always has a too-serious look on her face and I get nervous answering questions.

After classes, I went with Daisy so she could get postcards. (Side note: we also stopped by Martha's office and apparently we are going to the town of Sayula this Saturday and Mexico City for 3 days next week!) Martha gave us directions to the post office to get stamps and we headed off. We weren't sure where it was once we got to the area she said it was in, so we asked 2 more people for directions. Then we crossed the street and asked more. Then we crossed another street and asked more. Eventually, after talking to seven people within one city block, we made it!

Here are a few things I've noticed:
-the dress is NOT conservative like they told us before the trip
-the ladies like tight pants and tightly pulled back hair and a lot of people wear jeans and t-shirts to work
-I've seen 1 turn signal used in 4 days here
-they paint the bottom half of trees white to keep the bugs off

We ate la comida around 3 - sopa de pasta codito, carne de rez, tortillas, jugo de papaya y ate de guayaba. This translates to elbow macaroni in tomato sauce, beef and potatoes, tortillas, papaya juice (not great, but better with lime in it), and a 4x6 rubber sheet of guava... yum?

As we were eating, we noticed that for the FIRST time since we arrived, regardless of time, it was quiet on the street.... then suddenly yelling and cheering... the game was on! We turned the TV on and we heard screams everywhere, Mexico scored! The announcer yelled "GOOOOOAAALLLL!" (The stereotypes are true.) One more goal and Mexico beat France for the first time in a long time, 2-0. There were splashes - in the courtyard outside, grown men fully clothed and wearing Mexican jerseys were jumping and pushing each other into the pool. Cars filled the streets and we heard honking for over two hours as people celebrated. On TV they showed people all over Mexico going crazy... and we didn't even win the world cup! This is definitely going to be a fun place to watch the tournament.

Finally, Blanca DOES have a husband! He is a sports writer so he locked himself in the bedroom during the game for no interruptions. He's a twitchy man, but very friendly. Also named Alfredo.

Daisy and I did nothing all afternoon, it was good to be bored for once because I don't think we'll get the chance for the next 7 weeks! Saturday is a day trip to Sayula (a pueblo with haciendas and pyramids), next week we have a trip to Mexico City Thursday through Saturday, and the next Friday a day trip to Tequila.

For dinner we had quesadillas with onions and tomatoes, and chocolate milk (with sugar added to it, it was really rich). Alfredo the Younger came home during dinner and he sat with Daisy, Blanca and me while we ate.... then the strangest conversation came up. Blanca, in her recipe drawer, has an ad stuck in there with a scantily clad woman. There is a restaurant nearby that has exotic dancers. Not just any restaurant... a breakfast place. Eggs, bacon, and a side of strippers? The best part about this conversation (besides the fact that Blanca has kept this ad for a while, goes to this restaurant with other 60-year-old lady friends, and apparently lies to her husband and says that she's going to the grocery store), is that Daisy and I didn't know the word for stripper so Blanca (60-something housewife) and Alfredo (40-something optometrist) had to ACT OUT what pole dancing is.

I think that is a good note to end on :)