In any case, I'll be in Mexico for 14 days (2 weeks). I don't know Spanish at all, even a little. I can say Hola all day, but that's about it. I wish to at least be able to converse in Spanish by the end of the trip. I signed up for a language class in the City of Eternal Spring, Cuernavaca, so we'll see how it goes in two weeks!
First challenge: I lost my neck pillow on the plane. I could hardly sleep, I was so accustomed to my comfy pillow, that without it, it was a bit rough to fall asleep. Luckily, by the end of the flight, I found my pillow. It felt off somehow, and some people put it on the last seat of the plane. It was a strange feeling: waking up without the neck pillow and wondering, did I really bring a neck pillow on the flight with me? How can it fall off without a trace? Answer: someone else took it, but I questioned my mental health for a while before getting confirmed.
Second challenge: Do you remember the Immigration line at US airport? Well, it's just as bad in Mexico, even worse. The Citizen line was almost empty. The Immigration line (including tourists from anywhere!) was full of people. I waited for a good 30 minutes? or even more. There was no problem of course, but given that it was bright early in the morning, it was kind of tiring.
When I finally finished with Immigration, the school taxi driver picked me up with a sign. I felt very special. This is the first time I was picked up with a sign from the airport. It was bit scary. I was wondering what would happen if I didn't find him? But in the end, he is a pro, I saw the sign right away. It wasn't difficult at all!
Now, off to the trip. Mexico City is very crowded. We had traffic at 6 in the morning. The roads were full of people trying to commute, while the sun hadn't even risen yet. Mexico City is also very modern and impressive, just like any big city in the US: lots of cars, museums, people, all the amenities with parking meters, traffic lights, street vendors, etc.
The sun didn't rise until 7 am, and I wish I could see more of Mexico City. But the fact is, I was totally sleepy and tired. I had less than 4 hours of sleep, and couldn't keep my eyes open. My kind taxi driver told me to just lay down in the back seat - I totally did that. I had a peaceful sleep in the next two hours or so. The next time I woke up, it's already the bright morning. I was in front of my host family already. Buenos diaz!
My first impression of Cuernava is the hills - it is just as hilly as San Francisco - way to go from one hill to another. The weather is very nice. It's sunny, but not boiling hot. It's a bit chilly even. The sky was blue, not a lot of cloud. The houses are colorful, and people seem nice. My host mama drives a manual and runs a laundromat. She zips in and out of the hills with super determination and speed. She looks very young too.
Then reality hit me. Although I tried, I really didn't know any Spanish. I couldn't talk to her at all, awkward silence was in the air. My host mama tried to make some conversations, but I couldn't understand either her questions or answers. I ate in silence, vowing that I'd do better later. Yes, I came here to learn!
Cuernavaca also reminds me a bit of Aix en Provence. It's a quiet, somewhat sleepy town. The streets looks peaceful. I love the hilly roads and the way all the houses perched on top of the hills, too. It's a pleasure to look at.
Spanish school is quite intense. But I believe I have the biggest bang for my bucks here. I got one to one tutoring every day, since, everyone at the school is at a higher level than me. So they are going to pump me up until I can catch up with another level next week. For this week, it's me and my maestros - one for vocabulary, one for grammar. They are all very nice.
In the morning, I struggled to keep my eyes open. I was too tired. I tried hard and hard not to fall asleep in class. I didn't remember anything at all. Then some French came to my mouth, and my maestros laughed, stop speaking French. Hables Espagnol!
Si si si! I'm trying!
At noon, I found a comfy couch and had a comfy nap on the couch, for a brief 15 minutes, but that was a life saver. In the afternoon, I was much more animated. We went over present tense in Spanish, and a vocabulary of about 100 words. Again, too many things at the same time! I suspect I mis-pronounced half of the words, but the teachers were nothing but encouraging. They kept saying Muy bien! Perfecto! and I myself felt like a hero.
At the school, there are a few other students. There are a few who have been here for a few weeks, with superb Spanish. There is also an American couple visiting for the 4th time, their Spanish is much better than mine for sure. And lastly, an HR executive from LA, doing the VIP class. He has a car and VIP service, but he also starts at zero, like me!
Mi mama picked me up from the school and I came back home for the giant COMIDA at 3 pm. Meals here are weird! Only two meals per day, but I was mostly sleepy rather than hungry. I finished as quick as I could and took a fantastic nap until 8 pm! Ah yes, long nap I know, very relaxing. The next thing I know, my host was showing me how to turn on the TV, except that, they all speak Spanish of course. Then I checked my email, chatted a bit with friends online. And now, I'm composing this epic blog entry. Let's make it a daily ritual so that I have a journal of this adventurous trip.
Now, I must do homework, tarea! Hasta manana!
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