Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Food, friends and fearless!

We have completed day three and here's what we've learned in no particular order!

1. Food! We've had three days of eating and the food here is amazing! Between the three of us we've had several types of the famous mole sauce (its a specialy of Oaxaca), we've eaten stuffed squash blossoms, tostados, quesedillas, squash leaves, cactus salad and hibiscus sauce. Ordering off the menu is an adventure when the waitress or waiter knows no English!

2. Friends! We are all staying with different families in Oaxaca on the same block, and each of us is having a unique experience.
Marcia is staying with Virginia who is a very caring, generous, paitent lady and loves to visit. She is always curious to know what happened each day, and is a great helper with her homework. Marcia has two girls from UW-Stevens Point staying in the same house.
Becky is staying with Gaudalupe and her son Miguel. Gaudalupe is a very affectionate lady and walked all of us to school on the first day. She also loves to visit and helps Becky study at night! Becky feels very induldged and pampered by her senora!
Niki is staying with Oliv and her maid Marisol. Oliv and Marisol make very filling breakfasts each morning (thank goodness for the twenty minute walk to school), and the house is always spotless. Both of them are making Niki use her Spanish more and more to communicate! Niki also has another girl from San Francisco staying in the house with her. Her Spanish is a little bit better which helps Niki out a lot!
We are all meeting great people in our classes as well as our instructors. What a great opportunity it's been to make friends!

3. Fearlessness! We are being forced to function out of our comfort zones! Here's what we've accomplished:
1. We've mastered the ATM machines.
2. We now can get to and from the school on our own.
3. We have learned our way around enough to get to four restaurants.
4. We know how to get our own taxi.
5. We helped our friend find her way to a doctor.
6. We found diet pepsi and chocolate!
7. Marcia lived through her placement test! She was the only one worried about that! Niki and
Becky left their's blank!
8. We've exercised out untapped creativity in a painting workshop! Pictures to follow!
9. We are living without tv. Becky is missing her HGTV and has threatened to redecorate a few
places here!
10. Marcia has found out that there is life beyond "Farmville!"
11. Niki and Becky have found out that taking care of Marcia is a full-time job!
12. Niki has learned that she can live through taking freezing cold showers!

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We are having a great time!! Next time we will tell you more about the school!!

Hasta luego!

~Marcia, Becky & Niki

3 comments:

  1. Sounds like you guys are adapting very quickly! I enjoy reading about your adventures!

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  2. Wishing I were a fly on the wall! And Beck...I have followed in your footsteps with my late night HGTV marathons--at least I fold the laundry while I watch:) Love hearing about your new culture shock--Nik, have you dreamed in Spanish?? If so, were you fluent:) Have fun my friends!

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  3. I smell a book deal! Things are quiet here. The Beckhams had a fourth child and Betty Ford died. That's all you really need to know for now. Can not wait to see you when you get back :)

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