As many of you know, I only attend school M-Th, which means I have a three day weekend.
Whoo-
hoo! Well, Friday was not super exciting. First, I was awakened around 6am by a rooster that sounded like it was dying. I truly wanted to strangle that animal. This is not a reflection of my character, rather how I was feeling at the moment. =) I spent a lot of time running back and forth between my house, the school and the
lavanderia. But, I did get to spend some time alone with my
abuelita and she let me paint her nails. We painted them pink and she made sure to show everyone! She talks to me more and more and she has shortened my name to "Viol." I´m not a fan, but that´s okay.
Saturday Kristine and I traveled to
Tepoztlan, an older town that mostly
consists of
indigenous people and foreigners. First, we hiked up to the pyramid,
Tepozteco
. It was 2 kilometers to the top. We were the only students on this excursion and we were accompanied by Irma, the program director. She told us that the average time to hike up it was an hour and a half but that she could do it in 30 minutes. I gasped for air when I heard that. Anyways, we got lucky and Irma was sick so she went slower. It took us about an hour to get up the mountain. I´d like to say that I was right up there with her all the way, but I definitely
wasn´t. It was a hard hike, and I´m not one with great skill. Therefore, I ended up hiking up alone most of the time, meeting people along the way. I met a group of kids who encouraged me all the way. Later in the day I ran into them a couple of times and we exchanged greetings. I think the only thing that really got me up that mountain was my own determination. There were wet stone steps all the way, making it impossible to drag your feet.
Here is a picture that Kristine took of me while I was climbing the last part of the trail. The closer we got to the top of the mountain the more steep it got and the more slippery, too.
But after a long hard hour of heavy breathing and sweating I finally made it to the top. It was
probably one of the proudest moments in my life. I know is sounds crazy
but, really, the hike was crazy. I prayed to God numerous times to open my lungs so I could take in his beautiful creation. Sadly, he
didn´t open my lungs but he did open my eyes to the breathtaking creation around me.
On Sunday, I went to
Church and then returned to the house around 2 for lunch. At 3pm my family and I were picked up by a taxi. We went to Office Depot to buy a couple of things and then we went to the
Galerias. The "
Galerias" is the mall that they have here. It is a bit smaller than the malls in the Portland area but is very similar in
appearance. The stores are all different but you can find your favorite popular brands in the department stores.
While I was at the mall I decided to get my hair cut. I went to the Salon and my family helped me pick a hair style. After I had chosen what I wanted I was ushered to the back where I sat in a massage chair while I got my hair washed. My hairdresser was a young man, and I must admit that it was a bit of an awkward experience. Usually you talk to the hair dresser as they are cutting your hair but since I didn't feel like exposing my wonderful
Spanish skills he cut my hair in silence. Mirna and
Arantza were with me the entire time and that made it a bit easier in some respects. Mirna proceeded to tell the young man that I had a beautiful face and that she wanted the best for me. That contributed to the awkwardness. Anyhow, I didn't chop off my hair I just chopped it up. It's quite different, but I like it. (And mom, I know you won't like the bangs because they are in my eyes but I think they'll have grown out by
December!)
Before we left the mall we bought some sweets for the ride home. Here we are,
Arantza and I, eating mango covered in
chili. It w
as messy, but it was delicious. Before we arrived home we stopped at a
Panadaria to by some pan for supper.
Arantza and I got pan that had chocolate
inside and it was
soooooooo good. It wasn't a chocolate cream it was just mushy dark
chocolate inside. Not a very good
explanation but it was delicious!
. It was 2 kilometers to the top. We were the only students on this excursion and we were accompanied by Irma, the program director. She told us that the average time to hike up it was an hour and a half but that she could do it in 30 minutes. I gasped for air when I heard that. Anyways, we got lucky and Irma was sick so she went slower. It took us about an hour to get up the mountain. I´d like to say that I was right up there with her all the way, but I definitely wasn´t. It was a hard hike, and I´m not one with great skill. Therefore, I ended up hiking up alone most of the time, meeting people along the way. I met a group of kids who encouraged me all the way. Later in the day I ran into them a couple of times and we exchanged greetings. I think the only thing that really got me up that mountain was my own determination. There were wet stone steps all the way, making it impossible to drag your feet.
Here is a picture that Kristine took of me while I was climbing the last part of the trail. The closer we got to the top of the mountain the more steep it got and the more slippery, too.
but, really, the hike was crazy. I prayed to God numerous times to open my lungs so I could take in his beautiful creation. Sadly, he didn´t open my lungs but he did open my eyes to the breathtaking creation around me.
as messy, but it was delicious. Before we arrived home we stopped at a Panadaria to by some pan for supper. Arantza and I got pan that had chocolate inside and it was soooooooo good. It wasn't a chocolate cream it was just mushy dark chocolate inside. Not a very good explanation but it was delicious!
