The Yucatan

HOLA! I'm so sorry for the lack of update. I had a WONDERFUL time in Mérida with my friends.
I went to Monterrey on Tuesday, April 3 and stayed at Jean and Liliana's house. Jean drove me to the airport on Wednesday morning. I thought my flight was direct from Monterrey to Merida, but to my surprise I got to go to Mexico City. I didn't think I'd be able to go there this year. Something very interesting I found about Mexico City. Besides the fact that it's HUGE (Population 22 million-plus) it's very dense. The whole city, it's like a square of a lot of buildings and houses and streets and then it just ends into fields. It never spreads out. It's city and then fields.


Mexico City and then fields

First things first: How I know the people I went to see. My Grandma Newton's good friend Dona's daughter, Liz, lives in Mérida with her family. Liz and her husband, Julian, have four children Lindsey, 19; Lauren, 18; Emily, 15; and Julian Andres, 8. I met them a long time ago in Michigan and the last time I saw them was almost six years ago. I did not see Emily until the very end of my stay because she was on a trip with her school to Los Cabos. That's insanely far to go in a bus. It's like 1,500 miles and then a 14-hour boat ride just to get there. (Los Cabos is the peninsula under California). Then they had to come back.
I arrived at the airport in Mérida and met my two friends Lauren and Lindsey. We went to their house that is about 10 miles outside of the city. They live in a golf course neighborhood of about 300 houses. We just chilled that night and talked and watched a movie.
Thursday we slept in and then went to the mall. It was awesome because I ordered a Nutella Frappe. Oh my goodness, it was soooooooo good. It was definitely the highlight of the mall trip. At night we headed for the beach house that was about a half hour drive. It was a cute little beach house. White with a nice airy relaxing feeling. First we had to clean up the house which was full of sand. We went for a walk along the beach and saw the sun set more or less. It was really cloudy and we were afraid it would rain, but thankfully it didn't.

The only picture of the beach house! It's not even of the house! This is an example of what we did. Nothing but chill and hang out.


Pretty sunsets!
Friday we went into the little town nearby to buy some things and rent a movie. Then it was time to make lunch. We had steak and I was in charge of making the rice. So I fried it then added the water. I've never made rice before and I didn't know that once you add the water, you're just supposed to let it sit and cook. So I spent most of the time stirring it and it turned out a little weird and then I was told that I was just supposed to leave it. It tasted a little funny but was edible.
We laid around in the afternoon and at night Lauren's boyfriend and his friends came out to hang out.
Saturday was pretty much the same. We went to town for a little while. We laid out in the sun. Made lunch. Went for a walk on the beach. At night we went to a fair in town.
Sunday--Easter
We had to wake up early (as in 10:30) because the Easter Bunny had come and left candy. I was fortunate enough to get a Twix. I hadn't eaten one of those in a very long time. The day progressed like the others. Laying out, reading, sleeping, making lunch, going for a walk on the beach. In the late afternoon we did have to clean up because we were leaving the beach house to go back to Merida. Once we got back to the house in Merida Lindsey and I watched a movie and then went to bed.
The whole week was really laid back and we didn't do a whole lot. We went and worked out. Lauren and Lindsey did Pilates and I just did cardio.
At night we went to the movies and met my cousin Stephanie. It was great to see her. We went to the movie The Good Shepard. It was entertaining to watch. It was a serious movie, but I can always find the light side of it. The movie was almost three houses long, but it kept my attention the entire time. After the movie we went out to eat for tacos and it was delicious.
Tuesday night the family took me to the ruins of Uxmal (Ushmal). They are Mayan ruins, smaller than Chitzen Itza but more detailed. On the way there we passed through the highest point of the state of the Yucatan. It was a hill. The state is very flat. I laughed because that hill was smaller than the High Street hill leading up to my house. It was also very interesting because we followed a storm cloud. It was a big gloomy cloud with a lightning storm in it. Fascinating really. We arrived at the ruins and it was just amazing. I can't even begin to explain it. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the ruins. How did a civilization exist so long ago and build such grand things without bulldozers, tractors and contractors? Just amazing! After the show at the ruins we went out to eat where I had my first Yucatacan meal. I had Puc Chuc. It's beef marinated in some sort of orange sauce and chicken tamales. These tamales were different from the ones I have eaten in the north. They had green banana leaves instead of yellow. I'm not sure of the other differences, but I liked these tamales better than the ones in the north. Another difference is the way Yucatacans talk. They have a very different accent from the Mexicans in the north. The Yucatacan accent has a different rhythem and I think it sounds like a Brazilian Portugese accent. Also, I found the people, in general, to be shorter and smaller, which made me feel like a giant.
Wednesday we got together with Stephanie again. Lindsey, Stephanie and I went to the Centro. Most towns and cities in Mexico have similar centros. They include a church, a big middle area where vendors can sell things and people can hang out, and the government building. We walked around there for a while and then went to dinner at a very modern-chic restaurant. After we went to Bennigans for dessert. I can't even begin to explain to you how good that was.
Emily came home Friday morning so it was fun to see her. Then a neighbor girl came. As it turns out, we have the same birthday! Very exciting. She's my third leap-year baby that I've met and she was born in my year. She was very cool. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture with her.
In the afternoon we went to pick up Stephanie and then to the Centro again. After we went to the store to buy ingredients for milkshakes. They were excellent if I do say so myself. They included: Ice cream, milk, chocolate, caramel, Oreos, coffee, and peanut butter. Not all of the shakes had all the ingredients. Mine did and it was great!


Stephanie and Me enjoying our AWESOME milshakes.


Lauren, Me, Lindsey, and Stephanie and then the chicken sculpture decided to be part of the picture as well.

After milkshakes we watched Dodgeball. I love that movie! Then at night we went out to eat where there was a live band playing and it was fun just to hang out with each other on my last night. The restaurant was good. I actually ate my first hamburger there since I've been in Mexico. It was ok, nothing spectacular. Does that make me very un-American?? The restaurant was also very dark. There were very few lights and one candle on the table. We had to use our cell phones to read the menus.


Lauren, Lindsey and me after dinner Friday night.

Saturday when I woke up Emily and Lauren were still sleeping and I packed my stuff up so I wouldn't have to do it later. When the girls woke up we made pancakes and they were detectible. Julian, Liz, Lindsey and Julian Andres went to take pictures at a wedding in Playa Del Carmen (about a four hour drive from Merida and 15 miles south of Cancun) and so a friend of Julian's took me to the airport. My flight was at 6:30 and I arrived at the airport at 4:30 checked in and was at my gate by 4:40. Upon arriving at my gate I learned I was going to Villahermosa, Tabasco then to Monterrey. The flight from Merida to Villahermosa was 55 minutes and for about 30 minutes of the flight we went through a storm cloud. It was very scary. I was resting my eyes and then I felt some turbulence and thought nothing of it. Then the plane went down in altitude and it was very scary. We were in a very small plane, the ones that fit about 50 people or so. However, it was very interesting to see lightning right beside my window. I probably won't get to see that very often in my life.
After we passed through the cloud we started our descent into Villahermosa. It is a lush green watery area. I'm very excited because I get to go back there on my next Rotary trip. Villahermosa is the capital of Tabasco.
My flight from Villahermosa to Monterrey was very uneventful and almost two hours. It was amazing to land in Monterrey. The lights and mountains and especially the lights of the houses on the mountains never cease to amaze me.
Jean picked me up at the airport and we went back to his house where Kasia (Poland), Laura (Finland), Philipp (Germany), Philipp's girlfriend, and Jeremie (France) were waiting for me so we could go out. We went out to a party and then when we decided it was boring we went out to eat and then home. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone. But that's not surprising since exchange students are so much fun all the time.


Laura, Jeremie and Me


Me, Philipp, Kasia, Jeremie and Laura and in the background Monterrey!

Sunday I spent the day at Jean and Liliana's house. I went to Home Depot to buy a wheelbarrow and ate lunch and slept. It was a good day. At night my host family came to pick me up. It was nice to see them again too.
Jean picked me up at the airport and we went back to his house where Kasia (Poland), Laura (Finland), Philipp (Germany), Philipp's girlfriend, and Jeremie (France) were waiting for me so we could go out. We went out to a party and then when we decided it was boring we went out to eat and then home. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone. But that's not surprising since exchange students are so much fun all the time.
Sunday I spent the day at Jean and Liliana's house. I went to Home Depot to buy a wheelbarrow and ate lunch and slept. It was a good day. At night my host family came to pick me up. It was nice to see them again too.
I'm sorry that I didn't take so many pictures. We went to the ruins at night and my camera isn't cooperative and doesn't take good, clear pictures at night. I'm also going back to Merida in May. I'm very excited about that my trip taks me back there.
Here is a map of Mexico about where I was geographically. I went from Monterrey in the north. South to Mexico City and then east to Merida. On the way back I went from Merida, south to Villahermosa then north to Monterrey. If you look on the far left side Los Cabos. That's where Emily went! Crazy Far!



I'll update again soon, I promise!