Jane the Illegal alien

This is the road coming into Sabinas. I was coming home from Monterrey and I thought it was so pretty!


Everyone here made fun of my peanut butter intake at first, but then they joined in. They didn't have any peanut butter in the house when I got here so they bought me a little one and it took me a week to go though it. Then I went through 1 in three days. I was not the only one eating peanut butter. Then the first time we went to Laredo we bought one that was a little bigger and that took a week. Now, I really wasn't the only one eating peanut butter. The big one pictured was purchased for me and was opened on Aug. 31. It is now half gone. Everyone eats peanut butter and jelly.

I'm very sorry for the whole week no update. This could be pretty lengthy. I've been busy and sick.
I suffered from a bad cold and felt icky for a long time. I stayed home from school on Monday because I didn't want to infect anyone else. So I spent the day doing nothing. I watched a few movies and slept.
Tuesday I went with my host parents and abuels to Laredo, Tx to get my visa, do some shopping, and go to the post office. We spent all day there. While crossing the boarder I made friends with the guard (or whatever he's called his name was Small) here's how our conversation went.
Small: "Can I see your passports please?" So my parents and grandma gave him their passports and he looks at me and says,
Small: "Are you an American Citizen?"
Me: Yes
Small: What are you doing in Mexico?
Me: I'm a Rotary Exchange Student.
Small: Really? And this is your host family?
Me: Yes
Small: Does anyone in here speak English?
Me: Yes, my host mom does.
Small: Where do you live in Mexico?
Me: Sabinas Hidalgo
Small: Really? How far is that from here?
Me: About an hour and a half. (I was thinking that it would be a lot shorter if you would stop asking me questions...)
Small: Do you speak Spanish?
Me: un poco
Small: Where do you live in the United States?
Me: Galena, Illinois
Small: Where is that?
Me: Near Chicago.
Small: How far from Chicago
Me: About three and a half hours. (Thinking I could be about half way to Chicago by now if he would stop asking me questions)
Small: You're a long way from home.
Me: Yes, I know.
Small: What do you plan on doing in Laredo today?
Me: Shop, go to the post office the usual. (Thinking probably nothing because I'll run out of time because you keep asking me questions)
Small: Well, you have a nice day. And be safe.
Me: Thank you, I will.
And as we roll up the windows, and drive I way I say, "Boy, he was very inquizative."

On the way back from Laredo we stopped in Nuevo Laredo to get my visa for the year since my tourist visa was up that day. Well, as it turns out, I didn't have a form that I needed and I would have to go back Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to get it. On our way home I realized that as of midnight I would be an illegal alien of Mexico. I felt so rebelious. It was great! I should have spend the night in Laredo but no I was in Sabinas! Anyway, my mom and I went back on Wednesday to Nuevo Laredo. I now have permission to be in Mexico for 180 days! Yay! I'm a legal alien again!
Then we had to cross the boarder again because we had some things to pick up at my mom's brother's house. As we go to the boarder again I see my friend Small. He doesn't recognize me at first, but he looks at my passport and says, "AGAIN?" and I look at him and smile and say, "Yes, again."

I was at my aunt's house in Laredo and I walked outside to see this cat. My mouth dropped right open. He looks exactly like my old kitty Socs.
After I got home from Laredo, Leike came over and we made chocolate chip cookies. They didn't turn out the greatest but they were edible. I guess that's the most important thing. I took them to school the next day and people ate them and didn't complain about it. Some even had seconds, so I think they're stomachs were safe.
On Thursday afternoon I went with all the other exchange students to the Grutas de Garcia in Garcia about 15 minutes outside of Monterrey. The Grutas were like caverns up in the mountains. They were really cool. All these natural formations. Anyway, while we were going though I remember (vaguely) Mr. Small (the teacher, not my friend from the boarder) talking about rocks growing from the top and from the bottom together. I don't remember terms, but I remember being there.
I met Jeremy from France, he wasn't there last Saturday, and he shares a love of peanut butter with me. So I felt a strong connection.

These are most of the exchage students from Monterrey and then Leike and me. We are just about to go into the Grutas de Garcia here...pretty exciting.


One of the many rock formations in the Grutas.

Friday I went to another 15 party and that was a lot of fun. They are crazy insane. To make a very very very long story short, I had a very interesting night with a few people. Saturday, I made Peanut Butter Cookies with my friend Vanessa and they turned out very very very well, I was really impressed with our efforts. I ate about half the cookie dough, but we had enough cookies to go around. That night there was a party at the disco for my friend Luly. The party started at 9 and when parties happen at the disco people generally show up around 9:30. So I was at Vanessa's house at 9. We left about 9:15 and we went around and around and around before we picked up three 13 year olds and went around and around and around and it was 11 and I was ready to go to the party and then we decide (I guess I wasn't part of the we) they decided they were hungry so we stopped to eat. And right before our food came someone that Vanessa knew and wanted to see was at the disco so she left with one of the girls and 15 minutes later dropped the girl off and left. I said, "Where's Vanessa?" and they're like "She left." I asked, "What about the party?" and they say, "Oh we're not going anymore." To save you from a lot of my emotions at that moment I got to the party about 10 minutes later to enjoy it for 2 hours. It was a lot of fun, the food was good, the dancing was cool. It was like a Homecoming dance, except cooler.

On Sunday Leike and I went to Monterrey to meet up with the exchange students there to see a movie. Our Youth exchange coordinator picked us up at the bus station and took us to the mall. We couldn't find the other kids at first and as it turns out the mall is a lot bigger than we thought. So we waited around and they waited around but eventually we found them and saw "Todas Contra John" in English it's "John Tucker Must Die" It was in English with Spanish subtitles. It was hard to read the subtitles because I understood what was being said. Plus, I got a few of the jokes that no one else did because they just don't translate well and I was the only one laughing at some points. At the mall our Youth exchange coordinator picked us up again and it was a tight squeeze. 3 boys, Leike and me and Lilliana all in a little car. It was interesting. So we got back to the bus station and were home by 11:30.

This is Leike, Melissa, and Me at Luly's party on Saturday night.

School was pretty uneventful today. 2 hours of history, 1 of Philosophy, 1 of English and 2 of Bio. Well, history is history and philosophy was the same as always. Our English teacher didn't show up so some guy came and played hangman in English. I'm really bad at that game. I thought I would be good, but no I'm bad. Then in Bio they're preparing for an exam so I didn't do anything and then we were let out 40 minutes early.
Something else that's very cool. I went to the post office today to mail letters and I had a letter for Germany (it was supposed to be a surprise Britt so pretend you didn't read this) and the post man said I was the first person to ever send a letter to Germany from the Sabinas post office. I thought that was pretty cool.