Unfortunately, I have had some technical difficulties with the pictures. The internet connection in my favorite cafe isn't fast enough to post the pictures I would like, so they are still forth coming and I apologize for that.
Nevertheless, I wanted to post a little bit on my first week in Queretaro. To say the least, it was a bit hectic. On my second day, I got violently ill with food poisoning and was bed ridden all day Wednesday. It could have been much worse, though, because at the very least, I had my wonderful host mother, Maria Jesus, taking care of me. I could not have asked for a better host mother, in all honesty. Interestingly, she did not pick me up on the first day when we all met our families at the university, but rather, her friend Vicki (who is also an amazing woman) so I didn't meet Maria until Tuesday, the day I got sick. So even though Maria and I hadn't had a chance to speak much, she still worried about me as if I were her own daughter, sitting by my bed side to figure out what she could do to help me, giving me medicine, and even altering her diet for the week so I could eat milder foods that would keep my stomach calm. A true blessing and thanks to her and Chela (our maid...but really, she's more like a fourth daughter to Maria than a maid), I recovered within a few days.
Despite being out of commission Tuesday night and all of Wednesday, I managed to pack in a lot stuff during my first week here. On Friday afternoon, I wandered around the center of town with two girls in the program, Laura and Katie, so we could peruse the shops and buy Laura a ticket for that evening's entertainment: the Queretaro Philharmonic New Years concert. At the tail end of our afternoon adventure, the three of us sat in outside a Gloria Jeans to chat about how we were adjusting to Mexico and the fact that we will be away from friends and family for another 6 months. I believe Laura put it best when she said that she isn't unhappy here in Mexico, but all of the emotions, both good and bad, are so intense as a result of plopping down in a new city in a new culture with a new family. As you can imagine, its pretty easy to become physically and emotionally exhausted. Thankfully, I knew what to expect after my travels in Spain and so I can cope a little more easily with the distance between family and friends. Indeed, aside from the vomiting, I really have enjoyed myself in Queretaro and the most unpleasant things turn out to be blessings in disguise. My food poisoning, for instance, allowed my host mother and I to grow closer together as she took care of me and I depended on her as I would my own mother.
The philharmonic concert that evening turned out to be a total blast for me. The orchestra played arias from three operas, including Carmen (one of my favs). The theater itself is absolutely gorgeous, with a sort of neoclassical design and a big chunk of history under its belt. It was, for instance, the place where the new constitution was hammered out after the Mexican Revolution in 1917. The music, ambiance, and company of friends made it wonderful evening.
Saturday, I finally met my host father, Jose. Because he works in a small town called Cimapan that's a few ours from Queretaro, he spends Monday through Friday on the job and only stays at home in Queretaro during the weekends. Though its difficult for both Maria and Jose to be separated for such long periods of time and so frequently, they both seem pretty content when they are together. Just like Maria, Jose is an amazing person. After he finished breakfast and while I munched on mine, he picked up his guitar and started playing me his favorite songs (including some of the arias from Carmen), which range from classical guitar to more modern pieces. I tell you, life does not get much better than when you can sip orange juice in your pjs and listen to the sounds of a Spanish guitar in the morning.
Life is sweet.
- Kaitie
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