...Down a Raging River of Death!

Today's blog was brought to you by the letter S and the word Monte (which means woods/area outside of a civilized area).

*Ahem*

The day started out wonderfully (and ended wonderfully too).  I went to my 7 AM class and...get this, stayed awake the whole time!  I decided that I wanted to super pay attention today, so I wrote down all the words on the slides (in Spanish) and then, when I didn't understand a word, I looked it up on my Spanish/English dictionary (conveniently located on my phone).  Basically, my mind got blown.  We learned about the whole Mayan agriculture system.  In a nut shell:  the Mayans realized that the ground here, as it was, is not fertile enough to grow crops.   But then they had an idea!

(Though I am sure they did not look as white as this guy, lol).  Looking at the trees around them, they realized that all the nutrients were in the trees.  So, using the slash and burn method, the Mayans were able to get the tree nutrients into the soil.  Of course, also being smart enough to realize that they still needed the trees for later, they left enough stump so that the trees could grow back and they could do it all again.  (They had to wait 16 years for the trees to go back.  My guess is they rotated plots).  Anyway, what's mind blowing is that this method sustained the Mayans for thousands of year!  Thousands of Mayans for thousands of years.  Mayans = intelligent.  It's a shame that the Mexican government has not made use of this knowledge.  But I'm sure there's a complicated reason for why they haven't yet.

Anyway, I also learned that June 16-20th the Mayans have a festival of rain called Ch 'a chaak.  (There's your Mayan word for today).  Needless to say, I could on and on and on about this topic, but I shall save you from my boring rants and move on to the next topic.  Which would be the fact that my next class gave me a LOT of homework (4 assignments).  Luckily I have until Tuesday to do it.  (Speaking of that class, I gave a presentation today and it went pretty well :)

*side note:  our first class always starts late, and then, consequently, ends late - generally running into our next class (which is saying something seeing that we have a 15 minute break between classes.  I guess Profe talked with the director of that class, so hopefully that will be better on Tuesday!*

Random picture:  This is the bus we take to and from school.

Another side note, I tried this delicous treat at school today (when I left my second class to go to the bathroom, I stopped by the vending machines.  It was either eat or sleep, lol):

After that class, Conner, Christina, Raquel, and I went and worked on the homework assignment (well, one of them).  That was exciting.  I didn't know Spanish accent marks were so...confusing.  But I think I understand?  Yep.  I was about to go into what we learned, but then I realized you probably aren't reading this blog to learn about Spanish grammer *ahem* moving on.

Following homework, we returned to our homes.  Originally, Conner came home with Christina and I as we were gonna watch a movie.  But then we ran into MM and ended up having lunch instead.  So Conner went home, but then returned about 30 minutes later to watch the movie.  Meanwhile, while he was out, and before we ate lunch we cuddle with the kittens :)  Which were born a day before Christina and I arrived.  Aren't they precious???

The middle kitten was having some troubles, lol.  He may be the first to have his eyes open, but he sure was hard put when trying to feed!  (He's also the only kitten that looks like his mama color wise).

Also of note, we found these in our rooms when we arrived home!  (The woman who comes in on Wednesdays works at a hotel, so she's learned how to fold things into cool shapes!):

A flower made out of toilet paper and a safety pin.  As Riley in National Treasure would say, "Genius"

After pulling ourselves away from this adorable little things (which, I found out that I'm not allergic to this type of cat, oddly enough.  I didn't get itchy eyed or anything), we had this for lunch:

Pork, rice, and salad

After lunch, we went back to the kittens.  That's when Conner arrived.  And that's also when I noticed this lovely scene on the office wall (the office is where the kittens were feeding):

It was kind of cool to see the little ants moving such a big piece of, uh, meat up the wall.  And it was gross too.  Really gross. 

This is the green stuff they put on the light fixture (which is where the ants were coming from) to keep at bay the little boogers.  *shudder*

 Moving on...I then had these adorable pictures taken of myself (I guess the kitten is cute too :P):

Anyway, after all that jazz, Conner, Christina, and I sat down to watch El Dorado (you know, to prepare us to go see Chichen Itza tomorrow.  Because that movie is TOTally historically accurate).  After that, I can't quite remember what I did.  But I know one thing I did was watch the PTX movie (SOOOOOOOOO awesome).  And then it started raining.  So I decided to take the opportunity to take pictures and a video to explain how the heavy rain drains (well, doesn't drain) from the roads here:

See how high up that water is on that car tire?  It takes about an hour ish to get to that point?  Maybe less.

This is a video of a cup I saw floating down the street. 

This is me explaining the roads :)

While it was raining, I skyped my daddy!  And it was the bestest!  We talked bout what I learned today and everything.  It was nice to see him and his lovely smile :)  (I got to skype my mommy a few days ago, and that was also fun!!  And I got to see my grandma then too).

After skype, I went and ate dinner.  Which was this deliciousness seen here:

Grilled cheese!  With ham and tomato and mayo.

After that I talked with Elisa for about 15 minutes about music and different things (See dad?  I followed your advice, went forth, and spoke!  I should also note that I spoke with the maid today as well.  That's when I found out that the reason we where shoes during storms is because if the house gets struck by lightening, there's less of a chance of being shocked or something.  Guess they don't have lightening rods.  This trip just came to a new level, lol.  Don't worry, mom, we'll be safe!).

Fun culture notes:

*The sewage system here can't process toilet paper.  Soooooooo, instead they have little trash cans here where you throw away your used toilet paper.  (If anything will make you miss the states, it's that).   Luckily, at our house here, we can put it in the toliet (thank goodness!).

*My roommate learned today that they don't have anything larger than size 7's at the shoe stores here.  Still...I hope I can find some new flip flops at some point.  Maybe they shall have some at el Centro.  If not, I shall buy guy sized shoes!

*Guys here only where pants.  (Now that's what I can manly)  Girls where pants or dresses.  Though I've seen some wear capris.

*Watch out when climbing walls (not that you would be, but if you were...) some of them have broken glass mounted/cemented into the tops of the walls (I'll have to get a picture of that sometime!)

This is the money they use:

And we totally have a closet that locks, as well as a dresser drawer, and a side table drawer that locks :)  Here's a picture of my side table (and lovely key chain):

That's it for today!  I can't wait for the excursion tomorrow!  Chichen Itza here I come!

'Til Tomorrow,

With love (and this song):

R J Carr

Totes Ma Goats

Basically I'm ignoring my homework for tomorrow and am instead writing this blog post (great start to today's entry, eh?)  Because writing blog posts is SO much more enjoyable than creating a power point.

Moving on - I realized a few minutes ago that I forgot to mention a very important story that happened on Monday (the day that we went to the beach).  And it all started with food.  So, about an hour before we headed home, I decided I was hungry (MM had packed us two sandwiches - a PB sandwich and a bologna sandwich.  I'd eaten the PB sandwich, but ended up not eating the bologna because...well, it hadn't any ice pack to keep it cool and I just don't trust meat that's been out in 100 degree weather for several hours).  So, Christina and I walked down to a little convenience store (there was a street parallel to the beach) and I bought a small loaf of bread to chow down on.  It was on the way back that my sandals gave up the ghost.  At least, my right sandal did.  So, there I was, with a broken sandal, knowing I'd have to walk home a pretty lengthy distance after the bus.  Nevertheless, I shrugged it off with slight frustration (after trying to fix it) telling myself that I could just walk barefoot.

Thirty minutes later, we (Christina, Conner, Claire, Ellora, and I) headed towards the bus.  Well, I tried walking barefoot, and that kind of worked, except parts of the cement were super hot.  So then I switched to wearing my broken sandals, and that didn't work either.  So, switching between the two (wearing sandals, walking barefoot) I told the people in my group to look for a zapateria (shoe store) or some store selling sandals.  Well, after five or so minutes of walking, I spotted one.  Instantly I stopped (Christina stopped with me, the other three kept walking, oblivious.  They figured it out and walked back to where we were two or three minutes later).  I asked, "Cuanta cuesta?" pointing at the sandals (how much?) and was told that they were over 200 pesos.  My heart sank, I only had about 40 pesos and I needed 19 of it for the bus. I told the man that perhaps I could borrow some from my friends when they returned.   As I was looking anxiously towards where I'd last seen my friends, a man asked me, "Do you need help?" (he was speaking English).  I explained to him my situation, and he said, "Here, let me see if I can fix it."  So he left with my broken shoe (the other three friends came back, and one offered to help me pay for the shoes, but I explained that my shoe was already being fixed).  About 10 minutes later, and with the use of a cigarette lighter, the man fixed my shoe (at least well enough that I could walk home in them).  I offered to pay him money for his services, but he just put his hands up and shook his head.    I thanked him and then we walked towards the buses again.  Then, when we reached our bus stop (once again in Merida), I ended up taking off my sandals because they hurt so much.  BUT the blessing was, it had begun to rain so the ground was no longer hot and I was able to walk without a problem (Conner told me on the walk home, as we splashed through puddles, "I wonder what parasites Rebecca is going to get."  Lol).  It was such a blessing, the whole experience, and I'm so grateful that the man was so willing to help me out.  Here's a picture of the shoes:

The fixed shoe via the lighter

The culprits (though, in their defense, they are six or more years old)

Another thing of mention is, while we were waiting for my shoe to be fixed, a drunk man approached asking for money for tortillas (at least, that's all I got out of it).  Conner was kind enough to give him some pesos.  I would have, if I'd had money.  Thinking back on it, I wish I'd remembered the bread I had in my bag because I totally would have given that to him.

Moving on.

Today was exciting.  I got up for class at about 5:30 AM (after having interesting dreams about pesos, lol).  About 6:30ish we caught the bus (we missed the 6:15 bus because today is laundry day!  So we got caught up in making sure Elisa had all our dirty laundry.  Let me just tell you, I'm reaaaallly going to miss having some cook and do my laundry for me when I got back to college).  Then we went to class.

I wish I could tell you that I understood 100% of my first class...but I think I only got 30% of it.  But what I understood was interesting.  It was a lecture on the history of the Mayans.  It was very...historical.  Yeah, that's all I have to say about that.

My second class went much better.  Probably because it's an interactive class, and in those, I generally feel more at ease to say, "Uh...I'm not understanding what you're saying."  But we learend all about estar and ser today.  And started memorizing a poem.  We also read our papers aloud (it was an assignment due that day.  It was a paper about what we'd done this weekend).  The professor was impressed with my sentence, "Mi parte favorita del día fue los peses en el cenote.  Porque cuando estaba nadando en el cenote, los peses estaban mordisqueando mi piel"  Translation:  My favorite part of the day was the little fishes in the cenote.  Because when I was swimming in the cenote, the fishes were nibbling my skin."  #newword #mordisqueando :P  

After school, Christina, Conner, and I returned home via Profe Price's car (shhhhhh, don't tell the other students.  Profe was super amused at how we were ducking and trying to avoid eye contact as we passed our fellow students on their way to the bus).  Following that, Christina, Conner, and I went to the bank.  Then 7-11.  Then Oxxco (a gas station thing with Spanish playing cards, which is what Christina was looking for).  Then we returned home and I took a nap (for which I was grateful becaauuse my legs were hurting something fierce.  Though they are feeling better now!  Thanks to Conner and his pain killers - aka Tylenol).

About 2:40 PM Christina and I went to the movies at City Center (it cracks me up that the people here call it City Center but with an accent).  We went all by ourselves and made it in one piece!  And we even went a different way then we did last time.  #success.

At the movie theater, I watched Inside and Out in English (with Spanish subs) and Christina (joined by Brandon) watched it in Spanish.  It was actually a cute little movie.  I highly recommend it :)  Here's a pic of the movie theater (I took it as I was waiting in the lobby area.  My movie finished before Christinas.  Did I mention that the movie ticket is only $3??):

After that, we returned home.  And learned something new on the bus ride home.  So, riding home, we were very determined to not miss our stop and end up at the centro - no matter how crowded it got.  So, when our stop rolled round (yes, the bus was very crowded.  I was standing up, gripping the rail, and trying not to run into the people next to me as the bus jerked around.  I have no idea how the rest of the people standing kept their balance so well!), I pressed the button to get off (which, ya know, usually works).  The little light thing lit up (it said parada which means stop) but nothing happened.  So I pressed it again.  But still, the bus wasn't stopping.  I looked over at Christina and said, "Maybe try the button in the back?" so she did.  Still nothing.  The bus came to a stop for traffic reasons, so the doors didn't open.  By now, Christina and I were standing next to the back door, pressing the button and unsure of what to do (it'd been 5 minutes since our stop).  The guys around us noticed "las senoritas" having troubles, so they kind of looked around, noticing that our button wasn't working.  One of them said, "baja!" (which means to get off.  I learned that today).  Which I guess worked?  Because the bus stopped and the doors finally opened (well, half opened, becasue I guess the doors suddenly decided to not work).  The guys around us laughed at the silliness, but I was too busy praying that the bus wouldn't start moving as I tried to squeeze through the door.  Luckily, we all made it out in one piece, just happy that we didn't have to make it back from the Centro (we were only 3 or 4 blocks from our house).  So, yeah.  Pretty exciting.

When we returned (Brandon to his house, Christina and I to our house) I showered (cold showers have never been so pleasant), then we had dinner (eggs with ham.  YUM).  And I put away my laundry/reorganized my luggage (cause it was a disaster).

And now, I am going to do my homework (yay).  It shouldn't be too hard, I hope :)  It's just a presentation about 'mi vida' or 'my life.'

That's all for today!  Sorry that there are so few pictures!  But I am sure that there will be plenty on Friday (we are going to Chicten Itza that day) when we visit THIS beautiful cenote:

'Til Tomorrow!

R J Carr    

When the Sunburn Calls

Well, I´m afraid I haven´t much to write today.  Mostly because I didn´t do much, lol.  I got up this morning for class, and thought instantly, "Nope.  This is so not happening today."  I ended up going back to sleep until 10 AM or so.  Making sure that every time I awoke, I was drinking plenty of fluids (I think I've downed 3 20 oz bottles of water today.  And I'm going for a fourth).

My MM was so cute, when she came in she'd always ask if I needed something.  And she was very concerned that I wasn't eating.  I finally ate some toast (which settle well in my stomach) around 3ish (I'd had a bowl of cereal about 11), and am debating even now whether or not I would like to go eat a bowl of soup.  What was also cute is that my MM asked several times today, "Would you like to do to the doctors?"  If I believed the doctors could do anything for dizziness and nausea, I would have gone, but I think the best thing for me today is rest and water (and aloe.  LOTS of aloe).

I did watch the Book of Life today (it's actually a pretty cute little movie, I recommend it) and the 1st episode of Season 8 of Dr. Who (they have it here on the Mexican Netflix!!).  I also did my homework (THAT was exciting).  And about 5 PM this afternoon, I got a priesthood blessing from a member of our group.

I am hoping that I will feel well enough for class tomorrow (I am sure that I will).  As for now, I shall continue resting and drinking as much water as humanly possible.  And I'll probably go grab a bowl of that soup.

'Til tomorrow.

R J Carr

Rebecca, the Girl on Fire (AKA Lobster Girl)

Today's post will be short(er) because I am truly not feeling the best.  Which you may have picked up on from my blog post title.

Today started out awesome.  Got up at around 8 AM, I believe, than dressed in my swim suit, ate breakfast, and headed off to the beach.  The bus we got on was called the progresso.  It was SUCH a nice bus - complete with comfy chairs and AC.  It was only about a 20 minute bus ride until we arrived at our destination.  (Though we did have to walk a few blocks before finally stumbling upon the beach).  It was B-E-A-utiful!  We met many of the other students there (we'd planned ahead).  It was just Conner, Chrstina, and I at first, but soon Raquel, AubreyAnn, Claire, and a bunch of other people arrived.

I do believe that this is the boat grave yard.  It was kind of cool to see.

Here's what the main part of the beach looked like.  There we a lot of tiny vendor restaurants lining the beach.  And then, of course, you had the vendors that walked up and down the beach selling things.

Here's one of the "Mine" birds from Finding Nemo.  Hungry little guys.

This was our little dog friend.  He started leaving just as I crouched down to take a picture (go figure)

Here's a beach selfie (because you always need a beach selfie)

And this was the aftermath of the beach.  (It's really, really, painful - especially on the legs - but it was totally worth it).

 I think the most fun thing in the beach was wading out (till it was waist deep) than crouching down and letting the incoming waves bob you up and down.  It was like being in a wave pool, but better.  We came early (bout 10) in the morning and the ocean was pretty calm, but about noon it started getting nice and choppy with some bigger waves.

The funniest thing was that, at the end before we parted ways, we were all comparing sunburns.  And I had been thinking to myself, "hah!  I have no sunburn.  Except maybe little ones.  Awesome."  Then I came home and, as you can see from the picture above, I definitely have some pretty big sunburns.  #intense

Also, watch what happens when you throw food to the birds (it's pretty fabulous):

After the beach (I think we got home about 4?  or 5?  So we were at the beach for about 5ish hours) we (Christina and I) showered and then ate this delicious dish:

Baked potato with a lot of delicious toppings

Shortly after we went to FHE at Profe's house (he's also staying with a MM).  Where we ate pizza and had homemade horchahta (SO good.  Much better than the stuff you can buy in the states).  Then, I started feeling super sick and went home.  So now, here I am, lying in bed, praying I can sleep tonight with my sunburn (I'm sure it'll be fine.  And I'm just thinking about how good of a tan I will have after this!  I'm gonna walk into the airport and my family is gonna be like, "woah, where's Rebecca?"  and then when they seem me their eyes are gonna go all big and they're gonna be like, "WOW, maybe I should go to Mexico").

That's all for today folks.  Tomorrow I have class at 7 AM (yee-haw).

'Til Tomorrow.

R J Carr

Houston, I think We Have a Problem

Well, not really a problem.  Today was actually a pretty good day, overall.  I'd give it a 3/5 stars.  It started out well enough - with me dragging myself out of bed and going to church.  (Our MM was kind enough to drive us.  She's Catholic, so she didn't go to church with us).  Here's what the church looked like (for my Mormon friends, this is definitely not your average Mormon church building):

There was no AC, but they had lots and lots of ceiling fans that kept us pretty cool.  The only problem was, the noise from the fans made it hard to hear.  And when you can barely understand Spanish, the noise makes it nigh impossible to understand.  However, I was able to understand some Spanish (you may now commence in giving me a pat on the back).  But I think it was about halfway through Sunday School that the motor in my brain sputtered and stopped.  I call it my Spanish overload.  And my brain was like, "I'm sorry, but you've officially reached your Spanish quota for life."  And it went downhill from there.  I struggled to stay awake for the next hour and a half of church (I'm ashamed to say I pulled out my phone) and to not give into my irritation.

At the end of church, our group got together and decided upon where to have FHE.  We then went our separate ways.   For Christina and me, that was going home and straight to our camas (beds) and sleeping.  I think I slept for a good two hours (my MM actually came to wake me up for lunch).  When I awoke I felt slightly better, but still out of sorts.

For lunch I had the same delicious food that I had yesterday :)  And I got to meet the parents of my MM.  Which was a struggle.  They were super kind.  But I was half asleep and my Spanish motor was dead.  I just nodded and smiled, answering basic questions.  I guess MM's dad suffers from the same thing that my Uncle David did - kidney failure.  I'd mentioned to my host family at some point about my Uncle, so today that was brought up.  It was nice to talk about him and how sweet he was.  Even if it was difficult to express my sentiments in Spanish, it was well worth the effort.

During lunch, our friend Conner came over.  Shortly after, Christina, Conner, and I met up at the rest of the group at the Centro.  On Sundays, they have a fiesta all day at the Centro.  With vendors, dancers, and music.  It was super fun.  Here's a video I took of the dancers (they were so cute!):

After a while, I got a little restless, so I got up and explored the Centro, arriving just in time to see the lowering of the flag (that was exciting).  Then, Connor, Christina, and I went to see the Cathedral right next to the Centro.  It was really, really pretty.  They were in the middle of mass, and it was fun to see.  It felt a little eery in there with the re-verb and the singing of a 14th/15th century song, but it was still beautiful and calm.  Here's some pictures:

The Inside of the Cathedral.  SO pretty.

I THOUGHT this was the outside of the Cathedral, but then realized later that it wasn't, lol.  But I think we are going to go explore this building sometime, so stay tuned.

These are the cool little chairs they have in the park.  Great for conversation!
Left to Right:  Christina and I

 After the park, we went home via the bus (now is a good time to mention that all the buses are manual/stick shift.  #legit).  We then ate (eventually) - we being Christina and I - and later, Conner came back to our house and we looked over the tour guide magazines (they were left in our room) to see what we wanted to do for the week.  Then we watched an episode of Avatar:  The Last Airbender in Spanish (now THAT was exciting :P)

I think the coolest thing about being in Mexico is that I know that this is exactly where I need to be.  There are things to see, things to do, ways to grow, and people's lives to touch.  I don't quite understand the strong feelings I had of needing to come here, but I do know that if God asks His children to do something, that there is a reason for it.  And I think that that has been the most comforting thing on this journey.

Another  comforting thing has been being able to feel and to know that God is aware of where I am.  That He loves both me and all the people in Mexico.  I have felt His love for the people here, and I only hope that I can accomplish that which I need to do while I'm here - even if it is just having fun.  (Which, I think I am A+ing that part of this chapter in my life).

I think that this week may be difficult - what with finishing the adjustment to this new culture and figuring out what to do, and where to go, and how to speak - but as I've always been told, the hardest things in life are the most worthwhile.

I'll admit, this trip is not quite what I imagined it.  It's a little less structured than I thought it would be (i.e. I have TONS more free time with no idea of what I should do with it).  Yet, I'm still able to - and am - having fun.  I think that's a lesson to learn while I'm young.  That even if things don't turn out as thought, it is still totally possible to have the best time of your life.

So do not fret, dear readers, I figured the time would come when there would be a little bump in the road during this study abroad (#languagebarrier :)  As we all know, life is not perfect.  But life is good.  And I'm glad I have this wonderful opportunity to be here in Merida, enjoying more of God's creations and getting to know and understand more of His children on this Earth.

It's been a fabulous Sunday, and I know that this upcoming week will be a blast.

'Til tomorrow.

R J Carr

Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Utah Anymore

Today was a chillax day, which was nice (all this running around has made me quite tired, even if said running has been enjoyable).

Started out by arising late at 10 AM (mainly because I could.  Mainly because I'd stayed up late writing my blog last night :) ), getting dressed, and eating breakfast.  (My MM came into the kitchen as I was eating and said, "You woke late today" or something like that.  I just smiled sheepishly at her).  After that, Connor, Brandon, Scott, Christina, and I decided to go to the city center, where Wal-Mart was (Scott needed to buy pillows).  So we walked to where we catch the bus for school, and caught the Copo Route 3 bus to the city center.  Here's some pictures from the walk to the bus stop:

Isn't it pretty?  It's important to note this is not the flower on the plant.  These are just the leaves.

This little tiny white flower is the actual flower :)  (Cool huh?  And they have this plant everywhere in Merida, in lots of different colors).

Here's a picture of a lime tree - they also have these everywhere, I believe.

This is another pretty flower I found, growing under a window.

Here's some other flowers, actually growing on a tree.

Another another tree flower.

And Another.

And a tree with colored leaves that only look like flowers.

 Anyway, after the bus (on which, I accidentally sat on my pack the wrong way.  By that I mean, I sat in such a way that I hit the spray button on my sunscreen.  I don't know how long I sat on it, but by the time I noticed, my bag and dress were soaked.  Luckily, it dried pretty quick), we headed into Wal-Mart.  Let me tell you, Wal-Marts in Mexico are not like the Wal-Marts in the US.  For one, everything is in Spanish.  (As seen here).  Well, not everything.  Lots of stuff is in English because it's been imported. Which suddenly explains why everything in the United States is in English and Spanish (#lightbulb).

Another difference is the products.  I don't believe they sell mopeds in the American Wal-Marts...

Or sell, "pack it yourself" meat.  (There are gloves, Styrofoam, and wrap provided.  The meat is kept in these chilled boxes).

Or whatever this comfy, swingy thing is...

 They also don't play catchy Latino music (which was SO fun to listen to.  I had to resist the urge to dance).  Annnd, in the Wal-Mart they have little "try this!" vendors everywhere, which was fun.  I didn't try anything, but we did ask one if they knew where the umbrellas were.   Anyway, at the end of the Wal-Mart escapade, I ended up buying a Sunny D tasting drink and this delicious treat:

It's marshmallow with a Strawberry jelly on top.  (Can you say yum?)

 We then walked out of the Wal-Mart and proceeded to stroll through the 'outdoor' mall connected to it.  I have outdoor in quotations because the walk way, playground, a food court, and stuff was outdoor, but you still went indoors to the different stores.  It was fun.  Again, there was booming Latino music playing (though actually, I've come to notice that most times, there is English songs playing.  Kind of interesting).  I think the reason the walk way is outside is because it's cheaper and cooler.  It's cheaper because, well, they don't have to pay to AC an entire mall.   It's cooler (temperature cooler) because if they had it indoors, but were unable to AC it, it would have been roasting.  An outdoor mall is better than an indoor mall with no AC.

Anyway, after that (and after two of our group members got shooed away from the playground meant for the 6-12 year olds) we came back to our bus stop (which looks like this.  Yes, we are standing under and overpass):

This is where it gets exciting.  So, we get on the bus, all confident that we'll be able to get off the bus at the right time.  Which, well, we would've, if not for the fact that the bus was jammed full by the time we got to our stop.  See, normally, the bus driver knows to pull over because you stand up.  Well, when you have a whole isle of people standing up (when the seats are full, you can stand in the aisle, holding onto the metal bar above your head) that kind of goes out the window.  We found out later that there is a little button you can press to let the driver know to let you off.  We shall definitely remember that for next time.  So, long story short, we ended up getting off at the end of the line.  Luckily, the end of the line was el Centro.  So, we just walked the four or so blocks to the buses we used last night (luckily Connor had it all mark on his google maps on his phone.  #ilovetechnology).  Here's a pigeon I saw at the bus stop (the one to take us back home).

And this is a picture of us on the bus ride home (with Scott doing a true rendition of what we felt like).

Left to Right:  Me, Scott, Connor

 When we finally got home, MM had lunch waiting for Christina and I.  It.  Was. DELICIOUS.  See?:

All this food here was mixed into a bowl of broth (MM left it separate cause she didn't know if we wanted it mixed together or not).  So, at the end, there was broth, cilantro, onion, pork (delicious, succulent pork), beans, rice, and sauteed tomato.  This is actually a traditional Mayan dish.  And it was YUMMY.  (Oh my yum).

 After lunch, Connor came over to do homework (memorizing a sexy poem - at least, that's what our teacher calls it - and doing a vocab reading thing) with Christina and I, as well as to get help with his blog (because, totes obvs, I am a pro at this).  We tried to do it up here on this balcony, but there was no good WiFi.  So we ended up going into the classroom off the balcony (which is where MM's husband teaches English).  Here's a pic of the balcony:

The popcorn our MM brought us while we were blogging.

The spicy dip MM brought us to try with our popcorn.  It was actually pretty good!

 After our homework was done, we (Scott, Brandon, Chrstina, Connor, and I) headed out to a fiesta in the calle montejo!  Which apparently happens every Saturday night (and we are TOTALLY going.  Every.  Single.  Saturday).

A bad pictures of the dancers performing there.  Next week I'll try to get a video posted!!

The sketchy vendor food I ate :P  Just kidding, it wasn't sketchy.  And it was a yummy cheese tamale!  (We're gonna go with that because I can't remember the real name of it, lol).

The enormous ice cream I bought.  You should've seen the look on everyone's faces when I rejoined the group.  Conner exclaimed, "What did you get??" (Also, note the charro on the left side of the bowl there).

The best part of the night happened as we were sitting eating our different desserts.  So we were sitting there and this vendor comes up, and he's selling these hand fans.  He asks me if I want one, for 50 pesos, and I say, "No gracias."  He then said, "Ah, you speak Spanish - very good" as he was walking away.  I then burst into laughter, and had to try to contain myself as I shared the story with my other four companions who were like, "wait, what?"  THEN this guy comes back and asks Connor if he would like a fan for 50 pesos.  Saying he could give it to his girlfriend.  Then Connor said, "But I don't have a girlfriend," and the guy was like, "Okay, then 40 pesos."  Still unwilling to buy, the man made such a funny, classic face -  kind of a big *sigh*/comically exasperated face - and says, "35 pesos."  Sold!  Connor, Scott, and I bought one.  I half bought it because the seller was SO funny, and it was such a treat to do business with him.

After all that, we decided to head home as it was getting late.  So we caught the bus home (we didn't get lost this time, thank goodness).  MM had dinner waiting for us (well, she told us she'd have dinner waiting if we needed food when we got back) but we ended up not eating it (I was stuffed, mostly from ice cream).

And now it is time to hit the sack (sleep sounds SO good right now).  And to randomly mention that something else I noticed today is that in Mexico, instead of .com on the end of website addresses it's .mx.

'Til tomorrow!

~R J Carr