Hot Wheels and More...

Yes, 'tis true that I have arrived... safely... and am slowly getting settled in and used to the sound of voices speaking muy rapido!

I left Oklahoma City Saturday afternoon and arrived in Morelia around 8:00 p.m. - and yes, Dad, I did get my sign... it said "Estephany Bahrr"... I was excited, but too excited to get a picture apparently. I'll have to take a photo the next time I feel like a celebrity... =)

After being driven to my new place of residence, I met my new houseparents - Rogelio & Fernanda Cervantes and their little boy - Booz. Suffice it to say that my Spanish is still nowhere close to what it needs to be, but that Fernanda and I were able to communicate fairly well (despite the occasional... okay, frequent... looks of confusion that crossed her face when I tried out my combination of Spanglish...). I fell asleep my first night listening to the sounds of Spanish voices chattering on the streetcorner with la musica espanol from across the street floating in the windows... not too bad, eh?

Sunday was a day of relaxation, and after drinking a pot of coffee (literally... Fernanda laughed and said "Te gusta cafe mucho, no?" - You like coffee a lot, yes?), I was able to journal for an hour or so before we headed to el mercado in the downtown area. This is an open-air market that is only open on Sundays, and people flock to this area to buy all kinds of merchandise - food, clothes, toys, music, movies, drinks... etc. Booz and Rogelio love these days, but Fernanda is not quite so fond of them because of the people. Muchas, muchas gentes - many, many people crowd through the spaces between the stalls, and if you are not walking with your nose pressed into the armpit of a large, sweaty woman in front of you, and spooning with three or four children behind (all who seem intent on stepping on your heels, toes, *insert other exposed part of your nether regions*), you are missing out on the entire experience. On the whole, I think I could do without... but it was definitely worth seeing!

After returning to la casa, we got ready for church with the people from Ixtlan. I ended up playing the piano (I need to practice), then listening to the study led by Mateo Gerber in Spanish (he doesn't need to practice), occasionally reading out loud with the rest of the group and then singing a little more (we all need to practice). It was nice to meet those individuals who were able to attend, however, and I was invited to a "py-jama party" with the Gonzalez sisters sometime in the future... sweet... maybe we'll do mambo dancing like in Magdalena!?! One can only dream...

Sunday night, after everyone had left, I was upstairs writing and I had a visit from Booz and his friend, Bethsaida. They found my camera, my recorder, my pens, and especially my computer very, very entertaining... so, we had our first lesson in "don't press all the keys down on the computer at one time or you will screw it up," and "Don't press all the keys down on the camera/recorder or you will screw it up." But... it was okay... and here's the best part... Booz and I ended up playing with his Hot Wheels cars, and watching... wait for it... Hot Wheels World Tour 2005 - all in Spanish.

The incredible part? We didn't get to finish it, and I want to see the end... =P Maybe tonight...

Today I started my classes after taking an exam that placed me (not surprisingly) in the beginners level... but there are a couple of other individuals in the class, and they were very kind. The teachers seem to genuinely care about teaching you in whatever way works best... and I sincerely enjoyed getting started... more on the classes later!

Well, that's all for now - I know it was long, but... hey, that's how it goes, right? Now I am going to try to figure out how to get back to the bus stop and find my way home...!

Hasta luego!