lo siento

I'm having the worst time trying to upload pictures and video......I will do my best to post them as I go along.

Decisiónes

Decidé no ir a la excursión hoy.  La escuela va a hacer la misma excursión la semana que viene - voy a ir este tiempo.
Quería explicar más de mis clases.  La primera clase es más de gramática y la estructura del español.  Anoche, tuvimos que escribir diez y nueve frases usando las maneras diferentes de usar "para" y "por." Esta noche, tengo que escribir una cuenta de 200 palabras usando el pretérito (particularmente los verbos irregulares)...uf, qué divertida.  Mañana, si tengo tiempo voy a escribirla por máquina y ponerlo aquí. La segunda clase - es más de la cultura, la literatura y la conversación. 

!Qué ricos son mis profesores!  Me gustan muchos mis clases y mis compañeros.  Hay solamente 4 personas en cada de mis clases. 
  

Soy estudiante

Today was my first day in classes.  I have two classes - one starts at 9, the other at 11:45.  We have a break between classes, and at 1 - we leave.  Some days, we'll have excursions after school, like tomorrow, we are taking a walking tour of downtown Cuernavaca.  I hope to get my video/camera equipment working.  As I type this I hear rain.  I enjoy the sounds here.  There are dogs barking (like in my own home) and birds chirping.  The people here are wonderful.  They are warm and gracious.  They like that I am trying to communicate in their language...very patiently.  They are gentle to correct and always willing to answer questions of vocabulary or pronunciation.   

Amigos: I must say, some of the sights are tragic.  I've seen many beggars, both old and young - tired eyes, old, cracked hands hoping for some sort of help.  I know that we have many poor people at home too, and it's so disconcerting to see a McDonalds, Walmart, Sears and many other American stores - with so much of our cultural influence in this country and children are starving.  I'm not sure I told you, but one of the asks from my school was to bring children's vitamins for a local orphange.....I've done so, and will give them in the name of our program.  Perhaps we can find a way to "adopt" a child here to help them in some way.   

Qué día tuve - What a day I had

En mi segundo día - el grupo fue a Puebla.  Visitaron un museo,dos iglesias, el zócalo y el sitio dedicado a la batalla del Cinco de Mayo.  El museo se llama El Museo Amparo.  Es una colección del arte que era dando a la cuidad por Manuel Espinoza Yglesias.  El nombre de museo viene de su mujer, Amparo.  Esta colleción del arte viene de muchos años.  Cubre tres periódos de historia: preclássico (1500BC-300AD), clássico (300-900AD), posclássico (900- conquista por los españoles).  Mi profesor dice que cada periódo  era basado en las prácticas relígiosas.

In my second day, the group went to Puebla.  We visited a museum, two churches, the town square and the site dedicated to the battle of Cinco de Mayo.  The museum is called the Amparo Museum. It is a collection of art that spans many years.  It covers three historic periods: PreClassic (1500BC-300AD), Classic (300-900AD), and PostClassic (900AD - Spanish Conquest).  My profesor says that each period was based on religious practices. 

Amigos:  My pictures will come soon....my digital camera stopped working and Sra Vititoe's flip camera just got new batteries, so hopefully pictures will come soon.
Te prometo - I promise you.

Estoy en Cuernavaca

Amigos:  Llegué en México a las dos - y quedé en el aeropuerto casí 3 horas para otros estudiantes quiénes estudiando conmigo.  Llegaron a Cuernavaca por autobús a las seis de la tarde.  Comí con mi familia.  Hay 2 otras chicas aquí en la casa que son estudiantes.  Mi madre mexicana es muy divertida y simpática.

I arrived in Mexico at 2pm and stayed in the Mexico City Airport for 3 hours for other students who were studying with me. We arrived in Cuernavaca by bus at 6pm.  I ate with my family.  There are 2 other girls staying in the same house with me who are students.  My Mexican mother, Hortencia, is fun and nice.

I will post some video and pictures tomorrow, I hope.

First day trip

Amigos:  I leave mañana (tomorrow) and on Sunday, I'll be heading to Puebla.  Here's the description of my day:

Visit the historic colonial city of Puebla, “City of the Angels,”  founded in 1531.  On this trip, we will visit the main Zocalo and the Cathedral, the new Amparo Museum, the Church of Santo Domingo and its Rosary Chapel, the Uriarte family talavera tile factory, the Museum of Santa Monica (where the nuns lived in hiding for over 75 years!!), the Museum of Santa Rosa with its marvelous tiled kitchen a nd regional handicrafts exhibit...and we might even fit in some time for shopping at the many talavera pottery stores.  Bring a lunch to eat in the Zocalo or have lunch at Tony’s Tacos, the best taco place in Mexico!!  And we’ll drive through the battle site of the “Cinco de Mayo” victory, which took place in Puebla in 1872.

I must say, I'm extremely excited.

9 days and counting

Amigos:  Remember, I'm leaving el 11 de junio, very soon.  I have to be honest with you; although I've traveled many times, this will be the first solo trip out of the country for me.  How do you think you might feel?  I'm staying with a family I've never met before in a city I've never been.......what would be going through your mind? 

Feel free to post comments or questions and I'll be sure to respond.

Have a safe and wonderful summer.