Home...Home on the Range...

Hey all!

Whoa dude...
Right now, we're in an internet cafe that resembles a gas station using their computers. It's about ten minutes on bus from La Preciosita, and it only costs one dollar an hour to use the internet! We're going to try to come here about every Monday around this time! Yay!

La Preciosita...la comunidad bella...
So, due to the fact that I haven't updated in forever...I have a lot to talk about! We arrived in La Preciosita Friday, May 28 by bus. When they said we were going to live in the mountians, they weren't joking! It was all uphill to get to the house we are staying at. Not only that, but we were surrounded by burros, cows, goats, horses, pigs, and various other farm animals. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, and I can't wait to show you all pictures!

Familia...
So, we are staying with various families while we're in La Preciosita. Our first is the Guzman family. They are so sweet. Our mom's name is Mine and she is about 4 foot 10 inches with a heart of gold. She is constantly either cooking for us or cleaning. It is absolutely amazing. Our dad's name is Alejandro (I have met like four Ales and no Jose's). He just got back from working in Chicago in the states in February. Now he works in the city to provide for his family. You can tell he will do anything for his family. They have three kids: Gomaro (10), Polito (8), and Ester (2). Gomaro is in a wheelchair, but can do anything if he puts his mind to it. Polito is one of the cutest kid ever and we always play futbol (soccer) in the house together. Ester is the fiestiest two year I've ever met haha.

Here's a chuckle for you...
So a lot of random funny things have happened while I've been here.
*Our second day in La Preciosita, Mary, Shawna, and I made a trip to La Panaderia (bread store). Because we didn't know the way, Polito took us. The house that we are staying at is kinda far away from the heart of the community, so it was a bit of a walk. When we got close we so a lot of people were crowded around. Apparently some guy that is running for political office was having a rally. Being the from the States...we stole his thunder because everyone turned and just watched us. When we got to the store, a woman asked us if we needed anything, and we pointed at Polito and said, we're with him. She started cracking up! That's when I realized how weird it must look with three 20 year olds following an eight year old around. Hahha!

Yesterday...
So yesterday was the most eventful day ever! We woke up at 8 in the morning for breakfast of coffee and bread. I don't even like coffee, but it wasn't too bad. Then we went to la misa (mass) while I didn't understand of course. After church we ate real tacos...that were amazing! Then we went to a place called El Campo. It was kind of exclusive because you needed a key to even get in. It was a beautiful place in the mountains with a lake and a log cabin. There was a rope in the tree that we used to swing over the lake. Then we went to our abuelito´s house (Alejandro's dad) for his birthday. When we got there, we ate again (rice and chicken tortillas this time). Then we were introduced to our host dad's brother who is going to the States in January. We taught him some basics in English for a couple hours and it was unbelieveable how hard English is compared to spanish. Some word pronunciations just make no sense at all! After that they offered us more food! Veggie soup this time which I was not a fan of at all! But I tried it...Kids in the community got news were in town so we all went to play Basketball...and that's when I realized how out of shape I was haha! We eat so much here, I feel like I'm getting fattened up to be eaten for Thanksgiving! After basketball, we ate birthday cake which was amazing! Oh my goodness!

Random...
Gary Coleman died Friday of a brain hemorrage? While I was typing this blog, a little girl just ran up, touched my hair, and ran! By the way, I love the Mexican police...eight ppl can ride in a car with no problems...I'll elaborate later. :-P

I love you all and miss you more than you know! I will probably post again on Sunday.

Besos,

Ariel Anib

Adios for Awhile

Buenos dias!

Cholula not Chalupa...

So, yesterday my teammates and I went to Cholula with our teacher Gabriela on a field trip. It was so awesome! One of the most famus pyramids is there. The piramid was built by the indigenous people in Cholula and when the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s, they thought it was a hill and built a church on top of it. Years later they uncovered the dirt and found a pyramid that worked a lot like an onion. It's like six pyramids in one built cleverly in layers. On our class field trip we climbed up to the top of the pyramid where the church was and it was tiring! From the top, you could see all of Cholula and I was in absolute wonder and the majesty of God. WOW...

After the pyramid, we went to el mercado (the market) which was pretty interesting. It was half butcher shop, produce, and flowers. The smell was...eh...Strong. The random pig head hanging made me feel like I was on Lord of the Flies. Anways I got to try a sandwich called Cemita and it wasn't too bad.

Night on the Town...

Last night, we went dancing and it was quite the experience. The most annoying things was that after 3-4 hours of dance class we were all so anxious to try out our newfound Kumbia and Salsa skills. But guess what...All the music they played was from the States or Techno. They were back as far as 70's music! Oh goodness...

Random...

I've had to backspace a million times because I keep accidentally typing words in spanish!

Now what...

For the past week I have been in Puebla. But after class, we are loading up into a bus and headed out to La Preciosita. If you want to see where it is go to the link and zoom in -->http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=La+Preciosita&country=MX&latitude=19.407511&longitude=-98.5466&geocode=CITY

It is extremely teeny with only 648 people in the community. While there, we are going to teach English to kids and adults alike and help out with whatever the community needs. I am so excited to be able to take the love of Christ to these people!

Goodbye for now :-(

So I have been extremely blessed to have internet for the past week...however, in La Preciosita, there is no guarantee that I will be able to get on and update my blog often. If this is the case, I will update every two weeks or so when I come down to Puebla. Be sure to comment or email me at ariel957@ksu.edu to let me know what you are up to!

Con amor,

Ariel

Now if this is what school is like...I want two PhDs!

Yesterday:

Method to this madness...

So my teammates and I went to El bisquet (a restaurant) for breakfast for the millionth time in a row to visit our new friend Tona. I didn't order anything though because I am starting to feel the pain of having to spend money all summer without being able to work. It's going to be hard, and my college student instincts are kicking in! I only spend if I have to and bargaining is becoming my best friend! After breakfast we went to class with our teacher, Gabriela. She is so awesome because she is teaching us things that will put us in the right mindset before going to La Preciosita. She had Shon and I look up information about the education stats in Mexico in general and La Preciosita. It's crazy because 7.56% of the people don't know how to read. There are three schools (preschool, elementary, and junior high). There isn't a high school. My First Aha Moment: Shon and I told Gabriela that we knew that La Preciosita was a community of women and children and she asked us how. Haha, for some reason we never thought of it before, and couldn't answer the question. Finally, she asked where the fathers might be? Conclusion...in the US making money for the family. The poverty is so high in the community that after eighth grade, the kids have to work to help their family survive. Now that is a good teacher!

Vamos a Bailar...

After class with Gabriela we had our first dance class! One of the ladies at UPAEP told us to meet her at 2:30pm, so she could walk us to the place where our class would be. She never showed up, so we ended up getting there late. Haha, it was so embarassing! But we jumped right in and showed the other international students what we were working with. Salsa night here I come!

Today:

School was awesome! We went on a scavenger hunt in the local store, Chedraui it reminds of a Walmart. The teams were me and Mary versus Shon and Shawna. They made it back way before me, but they left out a category so we won! Oh yes!

Eeyore Moment...

So, honestly, Mexico is a lot of fun...but...all this excitement is making me so tired. I wake up every night at 3am and 6am because of all the noise outside. It's starting to wear on me, so keep me in your prayers! HOWEVER...tonight we are going to a lounge with our new friend Vanesa and I am PUMPED!

Random:

The street vendors here have loudspeakers. God has blessed me so much.

Sorry that was so long haha! Wonder who read the whole entry...?

Besos,

Ariel

Now this is my kind of Summer!

Hey all!

Shop 'til you drop:

Ah, what a blessing it is to be in Mexico! I absolutely love it here! Yesterday (Sunday), we went to el Zócolo! There is a famous cathedral there, and we went to Spanish Mass. I didn't understand a word, but hey, God knows my heart! haha. After that, the shopping began! I bought almost all the souvenirs that I needed (aka. I am broke). The best part of the Zócolo is that we got to bargain. I got a good deal in all but one place where I got ripped a tad, but hey you win some, you lose some! Funny story: As we were walking through the store, we saw a couple of mannequins wearing a pair of shorts and a pair of jeans that were skin tight. After commenting on how tight the clothes were, we finally noticed why...the mannequins actually had butts. haha, we told the teen working about how the mannequins looked in the States and we liked hers better, and she was grinning from ear to ear hahah!

Class unlike any other:

Today was my first day of class. Before we went, we decided to stop and get breakfast at a local restaurant. It was definitely worth it because our waiter was guapisimo haha. Unfortunately our bill got messed up and we were a tad late to class (and by a tad, I mean ten minutes). When we got there, we found out that they put the four of us in our own class! Talk about one on one interaction! It was awesome! Our teacher, Gabriela was half Italian, but born and raised in Mexico City. Today we talked about ourselves and listened to a song called

Mexico en la Piel--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbKyhHt55Lk. If you want to know what I'm experiencing here, I recommend you check it out. ANYWAY, it was one of the best Spanish classes I've been in and I'm PUMPED for the rest of the week!

Word of the day...Coqueto-flirt

Random thoughts: The keyboards here are funky. I accidentally paid ten bucks for a notebook today. And the Mexican sun makes me constantly tired. Oh, and two or three ppl asked to touch my hair yesterday hahah.

I miss ya!

I will be in Puebla until, which means that I will have internet. Feel free to email me at ariel957@ksu.edu or leave a comment to keep me updated on your lives! Anyone who has hotmail or gmail should be able to post!

Con Amor,

Ariel en Puebla

Greetings from Puebla!

Hey all!

The plane...
So, Thursday night, one of my teammates, Shawna and I, pulled an all nighter because we had to be at the airport at 4 Friday morning! It was such a bad idea, because we we so tired! However, we kept thinking of what if scenarios and our nerves were on fire! What is funny is that when we arrived to the airport, we found out that Shon and Mary didn't sleep either! It didn't really hit that we were going be in mexico for two and a half months until we stepped on Mexican soil. On the plane from Dallas to Mexico City I sat by a guy named Armando from Veracruz. He was a very friendly character if you know what I mean! ;-)

What a process...
Upon arriving the Mexico City airport we waited for another group to arrive for at least three hours. And that is when the exhaustion finally set in...ah! Then we had to take a two hour bus ride to Puebla. The bus was pretty sticky by the way, but the seats were comfortable! Funny story...at the airport, when I was buying some food..the woman ringing it up asked me in French if I spoke French. I responded with I wish in English and then said "Espero que si" which translates to I hope so in Spanish. That woman was probably extremly confused haha! Gotta love the Nubian twists.

Immersion to the max!
When we got to UPAEP (a university in Puebla), we were showed our residence hall rooms. The rooms are very nice, and the bathroom is EXTREMELY clean! After that, we were pretty much set loose on our own! It was crazy! We found a restaurant called L Kfe (El Cafe) that was very delicious! The waitress Senora Pina was the bomb!

Hello, my name is Ariel. Yes I'm from the US:
Today, was definitely a continuation of the waiting game. We went through an orientation for international students which was pretty interesting. Not only did it include information about safety in the city, but we also had to take tests. Yes, tests on a Saturday! One by computer which had like listening, reading, and grammar AND an oral exam! I owned in all of it, but the grammar section. Sorry Yasmin and Angelique (Spanish professors at K-State)! It's really weird being an international student. I'm so used to taking all the things that I know about how things work in US for granted. Here, the Mexicans are the experts and I am loving the experience.

Contact me somehow someway!
I will be in Puebla for a week, which means that I will have internet. Feel free to email me at ariel957@ksu.edu or leave a comment to keep me updated on your lives!

Besos y Brazos,

Ariel en Puebla

*Proverbs 12:1--To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

Preparation is key!...I hope...

Hey all,

So, I have never been much of a blogger (aside from my xanga days), but I thought it would be in the interests of my friends and family to know what's going on!

The Low Down:
From this Friday, May 21 until Saturday, July 31 I will be in Puebla, Mexico with three other ladies from K-State. We are going through a program from K-State's Leadership Studies program called International Service Teams. My teammates, Shon, Mary, Shawna, and I will be staying in a rural community called La Preciosita. What's really cool is that this is a community of women supported by a university (UPAEP) in Puebla. We will be teaching English to all ages and starting a Theater Workshop in the community for 8 weeks. Our last two weeks in Mexico will be spent traveling! We're going to Oaxaca and Veracruz to see the sights and partake in the culture.

Cold Fever:
I'm leaving in two days. I think it's just really starting to set in. I'm extremely nervous about two things in particular. One, I hate flying, and the idea of landing in an airport in another country terrifies me. Two, I am don't I will be able to fit everything in my suitcase. Don't judge me, I like to be prepared. By the way, preparing for this trip has definitely showed me what a spoiled city girl I am. Can't wait for transformation this summer.

Being that this post is ridiculously long, it's hasta la vista for me!

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others

- Ghandi

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

- Romans 12:1

Leon de Dios-->Ariel